Yami no Game: Dark Saga
by Rose Mistress
Summary: Danger comes once again to Yugi and his friends as they fight the impending threats to save the world. But along the way, they were determined to help Yami and Aqua recover lost memories and learn more about their past and how they exactly became demons.
1. Meet and Duel

Zypher: And here we are with the wonderful sequel to Yami no Game: Death's Awakening! Everyone has been waiting long enough so here we are finally with the sequel to one of my best stories, Yami no Game: Dark Saga!

Disclaimer: No own, don't bother.

Summary: Danger comes once again to Yugi and his friends as they fight impending dangers to save the world. But along the way, they were determined to help Yami and Aqua recover lost memories and learn more about their past and how they exactly became demons.

Warnings: Blood, gore, some language (surprising on my part since I barely write it unless I deem it necessary in the conversation and/or a duel monster attack) and scarce chances of lemons and/or limes throughout the story. I'll give you warnings for the lemons and limes but if you don't like them, then back off.

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 1

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_Duel Monsters! A trading card game where players become wizards who summon monsters and cast spells to do battle! Today, like all other days, everyone in my class was playing the game at recess._

"Ah ha! Take this, Zella! I attack with Rock Ogre Grotto!" Jou exclaimed as he placed the monster down on the field. "Go for it, Zella!" Someone cheered and she examined the cards in her hand. "Ok then. On my turn...I use this spell card. Wind of the Gods! The holy wind erodes your golem and turns to dust, giving me the win!" she said and Jou groaned.

"No! Not again!" he said as his life points went down to 0 again. She laughed softly. "You're so lame, Jou-kun!" Jou looked over to Yugi who quietly watched the duel and grabbed his shoulders, surprising him a bit.

"Yugi! Why...Why can't I win? What am I doing wrong?" he questioned. Yugi lifted Jou's hands from his shoulders and looked up to him with a smile. "Show me your deck, Jou-kun." Yugi said and Jou handed him his deck. Yugi looked through it and gaped. "What's this? You're entire deck's made up of monster cards! All 40 of them!" Yugi spoke in surprise. Jou grinned and nodded. "That's right! I stuffed my deck with the strongest monsters I could find!" he said.

"That's no good! The biggest strategy in this game is combining monsters and spells cards! Your opponent can easily see through your strategy if you focus on just attacking with your monsters alone." Yugi explained.

Jou groaned again and grabbed onto Yugi's shoulders again. "Yugi! Please! You gotta train me to play better!"

"Don't worry, I will! Come by the shop after school!" Yugi said before remembering something. "Oh yeah! That reminds me! You've chosen a great time! The finals of the Duel Monsters tournament is on TV at 5 tonight."

"It is? Let's watch it together!" Jou said, pumping a fist into the air excitedly.

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At the shop, Sugoroku was just changing the sign from open to close as Yugi, Zella and Jou walked up. "I'm home, Jii-chan!" Yugi called and turned to see them. "Ah, Yugi! Welcome home! You're all here! Come on in then!" he said as he opened the door and walked inside with them following. "Why you close so early, Mr. Motou?" Zella asked. "I can't be watching the shop when the Duel Monsters finals are on! Even I would want to watch it and see who wins." he said. "Oh yes, I almost forgot." he started as he went behind the counter and pulled out a box.

"A package came for you!"

"Really? Who's it from?" he asked.

"There was no return address anywhere on the box." Sugoroku explained as he handed Yugi the box. _'Hmm, I wonder what's inside then...'_ he thought before they all headed into the living room and got settled to watch the finals. Yami, Keara and Aqua walked in with a teapot and some snacks before Yami and Aqua settled down beside Yugi, placing everything down on the floor.

"This is exciting, isn't it!" Yugi said, looking up to Yami. "It is. Seeing the top two duelists in Japan dueling for the No. 1 spot as the Duel Monsters champion in Japan is an exciting thing to see." Yami said before looking down to him. "Why didn't you enter? You probably could win against them."

"I know but I'm not that good of a duelist. You and Aqua are the best ones that I know of." Yugi said with a smile. "You should've entered yourself. Why didn't you?" he asked. Yami sighed lightly, placing a hand over Yugi's and stroking it softly. "If I ever join in a tournament, it will be to fight one person." Yami whispered.

Yugi thought about what he said and then nodded. "You mean Kaiba. You want to fight him fair and square, right?" he said and Yami nodded. "Yes, I don't want him to battle me just because he wants to be number one but to battle me to show he can understand the game more than through power."

"I hear that Kaiba's still...in the hospital. He hasn't woken up yet and Ruby told me there was no change when I went to visit yesterday." Zella said softly. "I still..." Jou started then became angry. "Even if he came back, I still wouldn't trust him! I'd never trust that creep and no matter what, I would never like him much lest love him! Never!" Jou replied angrily. "Maybe you should give him a chance. He was evil during Death-T, I know that much but maybe he honestly and truly likes you." Aqua then smirked. "It sure sounds like he did to me, especially when you got your hand trapped in that guillotine."

"Well, I don't care what he thinks. He put us through so much danger, it's not funny." Jou replied just as the finals showed up on the TV screen. They focused their attention on the tournament now, eating some snacks as they watched.

"For the thousand of Duel Monsters fans across the country, it all comes down to this moment! The final round of the Duel Monsters tournament is about to begin! Out of 200 duelists who made it through the regionals to this tournament, only one can claim the crown! The finalists are entering the stadium!" The announcer spoke as two figures appeared through the doorways.

"From East Japan! "Insector" Haga! Fourteen years old!" he announced and half the audience cheered in favor of him.

"From West Japan! "Dinosaur" Ryuzaki! Fifteen years old!" he announced again and the other half cheered in favor of him. "Let the battle begin!" Ryuzaki and Haga walked into the duel box that was situated in the center of the stage as the announcer stood in front of it, explaining about the creation of it as they shuffled their decks

"I can hear your cards shaking in fear." Haga spoke and Ryuzaki only smirked.

"Whatever! My dinosaurs will crush you like an ant!" he replied before the announcer announced the start of the duel.

They drew their five cards and began the duel. Back in the shop, Jou looked to Yugi. "Hey, Yugi! Who do you think will win this duel?" he questioned. "Insector Haga's specialty is an insect combo. He attacks by enhancing his insects with various armor cards and stuff like that! On the other hand, Dinosaur Ryuzaki uses the megaton, heavy hitting dinosaurs to overwhelm his opponent!" Yugi stated.

"If it's between insects and dinosaurs then there's no question! Ryuzaki going to win!" Jou exclaimed.

"Don't be so sure. Keep watching!" Yugi said as Ryuzaki made his move.

"Dinosaur Ryuzaki played his rare card, the most powerful of the dinosaurs, Two-Headed King Rex!" The announcer proclaimed. Haga looked at his hand before picking out his card of choice. "On the other side, Haga counters with..." The monster was played onto the field. "The Basic Insect!" Jou laughed as he saw the monster. "What's with that wimpy card? Ryuzaki's has this duel in the bag!" Jou said. _'No! Haga's setting a trap and Ryuzaki looks like he gonna fall for it!'_ Yugi thought.

"Go, King Rex! Kill that bug!" Ryuzaki called and Haga chuckled to himself.

"You said "attack", didn't you? Your command activates this special card I've been hiding!" Haga said, flipping over the face down card he placed onto the field. _'What! A trap card!'_ Ryuzaki thought in shock. "Infinite Dismissal! Your monster is sucked into the whirlpool of time, frozen for all eternity!" King Rex roared as the whirlpool engulfed him.

"No! King Rex!" Ryuzaki called. "Now, it's my turn!" Haga said as he place another card onto the field. "I power-up my Basic Insect with the Insect Gun Armor Level 5!" he said as the large cannon armor appeared on the back of his monster.

"Attack!" A large beam came from the cannon, destroying Ryuzaki's King Rex and he laughed. "King Rex is dead!" Haga spoke and Ryuzaki gaped. _'I...I lost!'_ he thought, frozen in shock as Haga walked out and the announcer came up beside him. "And with a decisive blow, Insector Haga wins! He is the champion!" he announced.

"I can't believe it! That bug guy actually won!" Jou said in surprise. "And here to give you your trophy and prize money...is our special guest!" A figure appeared in the doorway and soon walked out. "The president of Industrial Illusions Inc. and the genius game designer who created Duel Monsters, the world's most popular collectible card game...Maximillion J. Pegasus!" He smiled as he walked over to Haga, trophy in hand. He knelt down to him and handed him the trophy. "Congratulations!" he said as Haga took the trophy. "Th-Thank you!" he said.

"You must come to the tournament my company will be sponsoring!" Pegasus spoke and a small blush dusted Haga's face as he nodded. "Although the excitement is still running high in the stadium, we must sign off for now! Don't forget to collect all the limited edition Duel Monsters Tournament cards at duel centers near you!" The announcer spoke and everyone in the room turned to each other, talking about the duel. "Insector Haga, eh...? Can't say I'm surprised." Sugoroku said. "Me neither! But it sure was a great duel!" Yugi said excitedly.

"Watching that duel got me fired up! Now I get what you said about how even strong monsters can't stand against a good combo! C'mon, Yugi! Train me! Train me!" Jou exclaimed. "Ok!" Yugi replied. "Wait just a minute. Before you do that...I'd like to see what's in that package..." Sugoroku spoke. "Yeah, I'm also curious about what's in there as well." Aqua added.

"Oh yeah..." Yugi spoke, looking to the unmarked package. "I almost forgot about that..." He picked up the box and peeled away the tape. "We can play after I open this, Jou-kun!"

"I wonder what it is?" Zella whispered as Yugi opened the box and they all peeked inside. "What the-! A strange glove...with star shaped chips! And a 8mm videotape...what is this...?" Yugi whispered, confused. Aqua picked up the tape and looked at it. "Maybe an explanation is on this tape." Aqua said as he handed the tape to Yugi. He nodded and went over to the TV, placing the tape into the 8mm player and the screen was blank before a picture showed up.

"Hello! At last we meet, Yugi-boy! It's so nice to meet you!" Pegasus said. "Hey! That's the guy who...!" Jou sputtered, he along with everyone else just as surprised seeing him. "He was just on TV...Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters!" Yugi spoke. "Now, now! Don't be so surprised! I just wanted to send a video letter to the esteemed Yugi-boy and his two koibitos! The real champions!" Pegasus said. _'How does he know that?'_ Yugi thought, more appalled than surprised at how Pegasus knew about his relationship with Yami and Aqua.

"I understand your lovers are very skilled at Duel Monsters! After all...Yami, was it, defeated dear Kaiba-boy! Good job for him!" he said and Yami's eyes narrowed, feeling something suspicious about this. "Now, shall we get down to business, Yugi-boy? I want to test Yami's dueling skill right here and now! I challenge him to face this video recording of me at duel monsters!"

"What! How can you play against someone on a videotape?" Sugoroku declared in surprise. "That's impossible! That's no challenge! He won't even know what cards Yami plays!"

"All right? Build your deck in front of the monitor! In five minutes, our duel will begin!" Pegasus spoke once more. Yugi looked to Yami who was still silent after hearing Pegasus' challenge. "Are you going to accept the challenge, Yami?" Yami looked down to him before nodding. "I will!" he said. Yami assembled a deck with the cards that Yugi gave to him before looking back up to the screen. "My deck is ready." Yami said. "Are you ready then? Let's go!"

"Duel!"

"Alright, I'll start with the Koumori Dragon-the Devil Dragon card!" Yami said, placing the card face up. Pegasus closed his eyes and chuckled. "Let me guess...the Koumori Dragon, right...?" he said and they were astounded.

"What? He just guessed the name of my card!"

"This can't be...! How can he see the cards from across the screen!" Sugoroku said, appalled. Pegasus chuckled again. You see...I knew that you were going to play that card! Why, I even know what's in your hand! You're planning to combine the Koumori Dragon with the Dragon Knight on your next turn to increase his attack power! Am I wrong?" Yami growled in anger, seeing that Pegasus guessed his strategy flawlessly._ 'Can he be reading my mind?'_ he thought.

"And of course, we can have that now...so I'll remove your dragon with my Dragon Capture Jar!" he said, showing the card and soon, the picture of the Koumori Dragon on the card was being sucked into the screen. _'This can't be...but it is...a yami no game!'_ Yami thought angrily. _'This won't be easy...I'm fighting the man that created the game! But how? How can a pre-recorded videotape read my cards. There's something wrong with this...'_

"Aww. Come on, gloomy! Who do you look so angry all the time? It's just a game! Let's both enjoy it!" Pegasus said with a happy demeanor and Yami snarled. _'He toying with me!'_

"That's just dumb luck! He named a card at random and happened to get it right!" Jou said. _'No, that wasn't just random chance! He's a shadow game player! Somehow, he can read my cards and my strategies!'_

Sugoroku watched the duel intensely. _'But why...why in the world is this man challenging Yami?'_ He wondered.

"Now, shall we go on with the duel? It's your turn!" Pegasus said and Yami silently drew his card, seeing it to be another dragon. _'As long as he has the Dragon Capture Jar on the field, I can't use any dragon cards.'_ he thought, looking through his hand. "Now now, take you time. Remember, your friend Kaiba-boy? Even his Blue-Eyes White Dragon is powerless before this card!" he said, shocking Sugoroku. _'That card can even stop the Blue-Eyes! I never heard of such a card!'_

"This is a new rare card that I just added. This game never stops evolving, does it? There's always a new card you've got to add to the collection..." Pegasus stated.

"Who cares! Right now, I'll challenge you with this! Go, Silver Fang!" he said, placing the card down and Pegasus laughed once more. "I just knew you would play a beast card. And on your next turn, you would play Mystical Moon to make Silver Fang "savage" and make him stronger!"

_'Again, he read my strategy!'_ Yami snarled and Yugi crawled over to his side, placing his hands upon his shoulders and rubbing them lightly to ease his anger. _'But I can't blame him. How can this pre-recorded video easily read out his strategies and cards when it can't see anything across the screen? It's just impossible and yet he's doing it without a second thought.'_

Pegasus gave another chuckle as he drew his card and took another from his hand. "Beast monsters are weak against fire...so this card will be enough! The Dragon Piper is the only thing that can release the seal of the Dragon Capture Jar!" Pegasus conveyed.

_'No! He's going to release my dragon!'_

Once the now powered up Koumori Dragon appeared, the two monsters did battle but Silver Fang was easily incinerated by the dragon's flames.

"The devil dragon's hellfire destroys the wolf!" Pegasus exclaimed and Yami's life points decreased to 1500. "Wow! I heard you were pretty good but I know your strategy like the back of my hand! Must be a little jarring to you, huh?" Pegasus laughed at his own joke. "Get it? _Jarring_? That's a joke!"

"Very funny. Go, Great White!" The large shark monster appear on the field and Pegasus calmly placed his monster onto the field. "Then I'll play Oscillo Hero!"

"Go get 'im, Yami!" Jou called. _'But it's no good! Yami's monster is a water type and its attack power will be halved when going against a thunder card like Oscillo Hero! Great White won't stand a chance!'_ Sugoroku thought with worry. The two monsters charged into battle and Pegasus called his attack. "Electric Strike! Elekizu!" Oscillo Hero made its attack, electrocuting the Great White and destroying it. "And your Great White is destroyed." Pegasus said calmly. _'This is insane! How does he know my plans?'_

/Yami, please. Relax and don't get stressed. I'm just as shocked and angry at this as well./ Yugi spoke through the link and Yami nodded. "I understand your shock...but this is reality! You cannot defeat me..."

"Don't listen to him, Yami! Don't give up!" Zella cried. Pegasus closed his eyes before speaking again. "Now I think it's about time...let me tell you the other reason I challenged you. It wasn't just for fun...Hear this, Yami-boy! If you lose this game, you must take part in a tournament my company, Industrial Illusions, is holding! That event will determine the true champion of Duel Monsters-the Duelist King!"

_'Duelist King?'_ Yami thought silently, not all that interested in the title.

"To be honest, I'd wanted to invite Kaiba-boy as well...but it's too bad...I hear he not going to recover. But anyways, of course, the one who becomes "king" will be awarded a large sum of money! And also something even more valuable! Wait till you find out what it is!" Pegasus said cheerfully and Yami snorted. "I'm not interested in any event of yours!" Yami said before looking concerned. "What if I refuse...?"

"Oh no no no! You can't refuse...because you can't defeat me! You can't escape!"

Yami chuckled. "Oh really...! Well, I haven't lost yet and I won't lose!"

"Ok then...let's keep playing! That's the spirit. Frankly, I knew you'd say that."

"Don't mock me!" Yami growled as he drew his card and then looked to his hand. _'There has to be a way why Pegasus can read my hand! What can it be?'_ he thought as he picked up a card from his hand.

_'I'll play this card next...but wait...I just picked this card without thinking...I was depending on my sixth sense! But...what if I thought was my sixth sense was actually planned by my opponent? That'd be just like reading my hand...I'll test this theory then.'_ he thought and quickly placed a card face down.

"Jii-chan! Zella! Aqua! Jou! Keara! Yugi!" he called and they all responded with a 'yes'. "You haven't seen the card I played, right?" he asked. "Nope, none of us didn't see it." Aqua said, getting nods from Sugoroku, Keara, Jou and Zella. He looked down to Yugi. "You didn't see it either, right?" he asked him. "No, I didn't see it either." Yugi replied.

"Alright. I want everyone to use their sixth sense to tell me what this card is!"

"What? We aren't psychics, Yami! We can't do that!" Jou exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter! Just say whatever pops into your head first!" They nodded and closed their eyes in thought. Sugoroku was the first to say something. "It's just a feeling...but I got the picture of a skull!" he said. "I'm thinking of a cool warrior!" Jou said with a grin as he pictured said warrior.

"I thought along the same thing Jii-chan did. Some sort of skeleton." Zella said. "Me too." Aqua, Keara and Yugi chorused. _'I was right. Five out of six guessed a Zombie-type monster. That wasn't just a coincidence!'_ He smirked lightly._ 'Now I get it! I know how he could "see through my cards!"'_ he thought.

Pegasus laughed with glee as he pulled a card from his hand. "Well! It's my turn! I so hate to repeat myself...but I know just what card you're playing! An undead! A zombie-type card!" he said, shocking everyone except for Yami. "What's going on? He said the same thing we did!" Aqua stated.

"I'll play Rogue Doll! The Rogue Doll obliterates all zombie type monsters with her "Holy Light of Shining Chaos!" he said as the monster appeared on the field. "I knew it..." Yami whispered. "He's inserting frames into the film! He's using subliminal messages!"

"Subliminal messages! You mean the technique where you flash pictures on the screen for just an instant? Your brain picks it up but you don't remember it consciously? Could he really do that?" Sugoroku spoke and Yami nodded as he explained the situation and the test he tried with everyone.

"Even if what you said could possibly be true, this battle is mine! I win!" he said. "Is that so? The card I played face down was...The Black Magician!" he said as the purple robed magician appeared. This surprised Pegasus and with a devastating blow, Rogue Doll was destroyed.

Pegasus smirked. _'Very good! So far you pass! Now let me show you my true power!'_ he thought. "Heh...I also knew it was about time...for you to see through my trick." he spoke and Yami only laughed. "Don't be a sore loser! You big cheat!" he spoke. "Believe what you want but I still knew you were going to play the Black Magician, I just took the hit to keep things fair. Now comes the real duel!"

"You want it? You got it, Pegasus!" he hissed. "As you can see, you're only fighting a video of me...and there's only so much film left of this tape! So let's add a time limit to this game! I'll put this timer in the upper right corner of the screen!" he explained as a timer with 15:00 set on it appeared.

"When this counter reaches zero, the person with the most life points left wins the game! We have fifteen minutes left...and of course, a penalty game awaits the loser!" he spoke as the timer started. _'A penalty game!'_ Yami thought in surprise. _'So that means he must have some sort of Sennen Item!'_

Pegasus still retained his smirk. _'You cannot defeat me...I've been scanning your mind the entire time! It's your fate to take part in my tournament...to come to Duelist Kingdom!'_ he thought. It was now 13:58 and Yami hissed. "Whatever! Let's get on with the game!" Yami said, knowing if they waste anymore time, the game will soon end and Yami was determined to finish off his life points and defeat Pegasus for good. "Alright! It's your turn!" Pegasus spoke. "Ok then! The Black Magician will kill the Devil Dragon!" Yami commanded.

"I'll take you on!" The two monsters battled and another Black Magic attack destroyed Koumori Dragon. "Oh no!" Pegasus said in fake astonishment and Yami smirked. "You're nothing, Pegasus! Your life is running out!"

Sugoroku smiled. _'Just what I'd expect! Yami's fighting well! As long as he keep his Black Magician on the field, his victory is assured.'_ he thought. "My turn..." Pegasus spoke, drawing his card. _'You still don't know Yami-boy...I'm pulling the strings here and my victory is already made!'_ he thought as he took a glance at the card he drew and gave a wide smile. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it!" he said happily. Aqua shivered. "Man, is he always this perky about everything?" he questioned.

Pegasus ignored the question and showed the card. "My next card happen to be the Illusionist Faceless Mage!" Yugi was surprised at seeing the card and also worried. _'That's card incredibly rare that even I never seen it before but I feel that Pegasus has something else planned with that monster.' _Yugi thought. Even Sugoroku was amazed at seeing the card as well. _'And now, I'm not so sure the Black Magician will be on the field long.'_

"The Black Magician has higher attack points. Doesn't that mean he wins the battle between the two?" Zella asked and Sugoroku shook his head. "No. In Duel Monsters, attack strength isn't the only thing that determines the battle. The monsters and magic-users that each player summons belongs to a particular type or element! And some are stronger or weaker against other types!" Sugoroku explained. "So you're saying that even if they have higher attack points, they can lose of they're not the right type of monster!" Jou declared.

"Correct! That was makes strategy so essential in the game!"

"And I'm not done yet! I play the Illusion card, Eye of Deception! And now I combo attack the Black Magician!" Pegasus called.

"And I'm ready for whatever you throw at me! Go Black Magician, Black Magic attack!"

"Eye of Deception Illusion!"

The two monster made their attack and in a bout of power, everyone wondered who won. The attack finally subsided and they saw both monsters were unharmed. "It's a draw!" Yugi spoke softly but Pegasus' life points decreased down to 300. "Ohh, so close..." Yami took a glance at the timer and it read 05:03.

_'About five minutes left before the counter reaches zero...I could keep my life points by staying out of fights and playing on the defensive. That way, I'd win for sure...But that's the path a coward would take! Yugi looks up to me and Aqua when we duel and I'm not going to take the path of a coward in front of him.'_

"I'll fight to the end! Your life points will go down to zero, Pegasus!" Yami said as he drew his card. "I send out Celtic Guardian! Destroy the Illusionist Faceless Mage!" Celtic Guardian jumped in to attack and Pegasus smirked. _'He fell for it! He thinks the mage is defenseless but he'll be in for a surprise!'_ Pegasus thought. A cry was torn from Celtic Guardian as a unexpected blast hit him. _'How is this possible? Celtic Guardian was hit! But the mage didn't move so how...!' _Yami was dumbfounded as he tried to see the source of the attack.

Celtic Guardian collapsed and soon, another figure appeared behind the fallen monster. "It can't be! The Black Magician attacked Celtic Guardian!" Aqua said, appalled. _'That's right! The Black Magician was hit with the Eye of Deception and that meant the Faceless Mage had control of him for one turn! Can Pegasus really see the future!'_ Yami thought, his life points decreasing down to 200. "Now...that's the end of my turn...and time is almost up!" Pegasus said, looking to the timer that now read 00:13 and counting. Pegasus applauded as he look to Yami. "That was such a good fight! Nice try, though!" he said and Yami snarled.

8 seconds were now left and Yami was still determined to not lose the duel. "The game's not over yet!" he said as he drew his card. _'I won't give up!'_

He smirked as he looked to his card. "A Demon trump an Illusionist so I play Summoned Skull! My final move will finish you off!" Yami said. Pegasus only laughed to himself. _'But can you attack before the counter reaches zero...?'_

"Demon Lightning!" Yami called and Summoned Skull roared as he sent out its attack. But unfortunately, before the attack can hit, the timer reached zero. "Game over!" Pegasus called and the attack stopped just a inch before hitting the mage and the monsters disappeared. "Whew! That was close...if that battle had gone on I would've lost...or would I?" Yami growled and lowered his head. "Yami!" Yugi whispered as he wrapped his arms around him. "My dear Yami-boy...you have even more talent than I expected...I predict we will meet again at the Duelist Kingdom."

"I told you, I'm not joining that tournament!" Yami growled.

"I know you said that but I had something planned so you can't escape! Penalty game!" A bright light shined from the screen, causing everyone to cover their eyes. Once the light dimmed, they opened their eyes and looked back to the screen. They didn't know though that Sugoroku slumped to the floor, eyes blank. Jou turned to look to Sugoroku and saw he collapsed. "Jii-chan! Hey, Jii-chan!" he called but he didn't get a respond. Yugi looked over when Jou didn't get a response from his grandfather and left Yami's side.

"Jii-chan! Jii-chan, wake up!" he said, shaking the older man. "What's wrong?" he whispered. Pegasus chuckled, catching their attention again. "Finally, let me show you how I could read you hand." he lifted the hair that covered his face and revealed the golden eye in place of his regular eye. "It was the power of my Sennen Eye! Mind Scan! The power to see into the heart of your opponent!" he spoke, mainly directed at Yami. _'The Sennen Eye! He did have another Sennen Item! '_ he thought in shock.

Pegasus chuckled once more as the picture started to fade. "Now, let's meet at my kingdom. If you defeat me, your "something special" will be returned..." Pegasus' picture finally disappeared and in place was Sugoroku. "Yugi! Yugi!" he called and Yugi ran over to the TV. "Jii-chan!" he cried. Everyone was astounded to see him trapped in the video and Yami closed his eyes, going silent. _'I can't believe I lost...and with it, lost Jii-chan's soul. I failed you, koi.'_ He stood and left the room quietly, heading upstairs.

Zella turned to see him leave and frowned, cat ears drooping in sadness.

* * *

Zypher: And there you are. The start of the sequel and a long chapter to boot! Hoped you all enjoyed and I'll get started with the next chapter asap! And as a gift for all of you keeping patient with me with getting the sequel out, I came up with the idea of making short stories that will talk about the duel monsters' point of view after duels they have been in.

I may add pairings in them if you want them but if you don't want pairings, just tell me, without getting mad and causing problems just because of the pairings in general, and I'll just continue with the stories with all the monsters being best friends and such like that, even though that's how most of them will be focused unless you all really feel alright with monster pairings. These all will be short compared to the main chapter but I hope you all like it either way.

Also, if you have any suggestions of monster pairings, please keep them with the humanoid monsters, then I'll add them in.

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck (They'll probably share the same deck up until the ceremonial battle if I add it then Yami will use his own demon based deck but still include the Black Magician and Black Magician Girl)-

The monsters Yami used in the duel with Pegasus gathered up with the rest of the monsters that were all in Yugi, Yami and Aqua's decks in an area that all three decks shared together. Black Magician paced silently, still angry at himself for letting the Faceless Mage control him._ 'But I guess I didn't really stand a chance since spellcasters are weak compared to illusionists.'_ he thought and then looked up when he heard Celtic Guardian walk by. _'And worse enough, I hurt him.' _He followed him and watched as he sat down, nursing the bruises he got from the Black Magic attack.

"Oh, I wish I could kill that mage right now. Mahaado didn't have to go through that and hurt one of his friends." Celtic murmured to himself. "If that stupid Pegasus guy didn't use the Eye of Deception, Master Yami would've won." Mahaado walked over and sat down next to him. "Are you alright, Celtic?" he asked and Celtic looked to him. "I'm alright. Mad but alright." he said. "You're not made at me, are you?" Mahaado asked.

"Of course not! I know you wouldn't hurt no one intentionally. It was all that stupid Eye of Deception illusion that mage placed on you." Celtic said as he moved to stand and winced. Mahaado stood as well and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Here. Let me help." he said and waved his staff.

Celtic was engulfed in a bright light and soon, all the bruises were gone and Celtic felt a lot better. He smiled as he looked to him. "Thanks, Mahaado. I didn't know you knew healing spells." Mahaado smiled as well. "Yeah, I've been training with many magic spells and studying various tomes. You don't think I wouldn't learn a few healing spells while I'm at it, do you?"

"Guess not. Well, with those healing spells, I'm sure Silver Fang, Koumori Dragon and Great White can use some healing too." Celtic said and he nodded and they both walked off to where the other monsters were and searched for them.

They found Silver Fang being tended by Death Wolf and said wolf looked up when he heard them come. /"What brings you here, Mahaado?"/ he asked. "Just come to tend to Silver Fang's burns." he said and Death Wolf nodded.

/"Thank you. I've been searching for Mystical Elf all day when Silver Fang came in here with all these burns from Koumori Dragon and I couldn't find her anywhere. I'm glad you came."/ Death Wolf spoke and moved out the way so Mahaado can heal Silver Fang.

Once that was done, he and Celtic went to look for Koumori Dragon and Great White and healed their wounds before they went to sit off to the side, watching the monsters of the three decks as they talked and played games.

"How bad do you think it will be with Master Yami entering that tournament?" Celtic asked.

"Shouldn't be too bad. He is a strong duelist and I know losing this duel wasn't his fault. I know he'll win and get back at Pegasus for what he did. I just hope I won't fail him again." Mahaado said, lowering his head. Celtic frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be that way. You are a strong monster Mahaado and Master Yami wouldn't think of you any less than that. He puts all his trust in his monsters and we didn't fail him yet." He gave the magician a friendly hug. "And we will help him get through that tournament. You can count on that."

Mahaado looked up to him before smiling and nodded. "Alright." He then yawned and Celtic pouted. "All that magic using must've made you tired. You need to get some rest." He got up, pulling Mahaado up with him and started shooing him off to where the spellcaster monster stayed. Once they got there, Celtic shooed him inside and Mahaado turned to look to him. "Fine, I'll get some rest. Best rest up for the duels that will come soon. See you later, Celtic." he said as he walked inside.

"Seeya, Mahaado!" he said with a wave before walking off, ready to do some training now that his bruises were healed.

* * *

Zypher: There, that's the end of that little story. Remember, if you want monster pairings, tell me which ones and I'll add them in. Don't make an argument with me about them and just tell me nicely if you just want the monsters to be friends. So far no pairings of any kind will show unless you are alright with them and want then in the short stories.


	2. Voyage to the Kingdom

Zypher: And like I know it, you all loved the first chapter! Thanks and here we are with the second! Enjoy!

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 2

* * *

"Jii-chan!" Yugi called again and then looked back to Keara who was examining his body. "What's wrong with him, Keara?" he asked. "He's breathing, but he's not moving...it's like his body just became an empty shell. I think his soul was literally sucked into the TV." she said before turning to Yugi.

"But we'll see what we can do about this. You should head upstairs and comfort Yami. He took this very harshly." she said and Yugi looked around, seeing that Yami was indeed not in the room after the duel ended. _'Oh no. Yami.'_ he thought as he got up and bolted to his room.

When he came to the closed door, he could faintly hear Yami crying and felt bad. He tested the knob to see if the door was open and seeing that it was, he walked inside and and heart broke to see Yami on the bed, crying. "Yami..." he whispered as he walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, rubbing his back. "It's ok. Everything will be alright." Yugi whispered.

"No it won't. I lost your grandfather's soul, Yugi. I failed in protecting your family." he whispered, still crying softly into the pillow. "Yami, you did your best. What Pegasus did was unexpected and we couldn't think of a way to counter it. You dueled well and I knew you would've won no matter what Pegasus' tricks were. Please don't beat yourself up for it."

Yami was silent as he lifted up his head, showing red rimmed eyes from all the crying and Yugi gently wiped away his tears before wrapping his arms around him and bringing him close. "Everything will be alright, Yami. We'll head to Duelist Kingdom and you'll defeat Pegasus and get Jii-chan's soul back. Promise me that you will."

Yami sniffed lightly but nodded. "I promise. I'm not going to fail you again, koi."

* * *

The next day at school, Ryou and Diamond walked in, looking over to the group. "Ohayou, minna!" Ryou spoke as they walked in. Honda and Zella looked over to him but smiles weren't on their faces. "Hey." Honda said gloomily.

"Ohayou, Ryou-kun." Zella whispered and they both walked over to them. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Diamond asked as she looked down to Yugi who was watching something on a portable 8mm player. She knelt down beside the desk and looked at it as well. "What are you watching, Yugi?" she asked.

Sugoroku looked up to her and smiled. "Ah! You must be Diamond, aren't you? Ohayou!" he spoke and Diamond jumped back. "Whoa! Is that a video phone, Yugi?" she asked. "Nope. My jii-chan is stuck in this video." he said.

"Really? How did that happen?" she asked shockingly. "It's hard to believe, but Yami lost a duel to this weird guy's video recording. He had a Sennen Item and he used his power to put Jii-chan's soul on this videotape!" Jou explained. "That's horrible!" she said but was intrigued about the Sennen Item bit.

Yugi sighed. "And after that duel, Yami locked himself away in the puzzle. He said he'll come back out but I'm worried. He still thinks that even if he does win the tournament Pegasus is hosting, he won't be able to free Jii-chan's soul. He's so depressed about the entire thing." Yugi said.

"Now now! Tell him I'm doing just fine in here! Don't you all get so down in the dumps about me!" Sugoroku spoke. "He's right! Getting depressed isn't going to solve anything! You need to tell him that! Better yet, I will!" Jou took a book and rolled it up to look like a megaphone.

"Hey, Yami! Cheer up in there!" he shouted, making Yugi jump out of his seat. "I'll tell him that later! No need to burst my eardrums, Jou-kun!" Yugi said. He grinned before looking serious again. "By if we are planning to save Jii-chan's soul, we will have to go to that kingdom and get back at Pegasus!"

Yugi nodded. "That's what he told Yami. "Come to my kingdom!" He said that's where he going to crown the King of Duel Monsters!" Yugi replied and Ryou was curious about this. "You said that Pegasus had a Sennen Item, didn't you?" Ryou asked.

"No duh! Not only does he have one but he probably dug out his eye to put it in!" Jou huffed. "That's a crazy thought but you might be right." Diamond said before crossing her arms. "Maybe if you go to this kingdom, you'll find out the secret of the Sennen Items..." She reached into her bag and pulled out the Sennen Gem.

"Like our Sennen Ring and Gem." she finished and they all jumped back. "You still have that thing?" They all chorused in horror. "It's ok! As long as I'm not wearing the Gem and Ryou's not wearing the Ring, its nothing but harmless jewelry." Diamond said and Ryou nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Our father brought them from an antique shop in Egypt...but as you all know, there are other personalities inside of them who are also demons like Yami and Aqua. The thing I want the most is to find out the secrets of these items and how they contains the spirits of demons. Not only that but what was the purpose of them being sealed away and what powers the items themselves hold and I'm betting Pegasus knows those answers." Ryou spoke and they nodded.

Soon, Yugi stood up abruptly and they looked to him. "What's up, Yugi?" Honda asked. "Sorry, I just want to be alone for a bit and see if I can speak with Yami and make him feel better." Yugi said. They nodded and Yugi left the classroom and headed up to the roof.

* * *

When he was up there, he closed his eyes and soon appeared in the hallway splitting the two soul rooms apart. He walked over to the steel door of Yami and Aqua's soul room and opened the door. He looked around through the darkened room before closing his eyes again, pinpointing Yami and soon appeared in front of a gold door with hieroglyphics written on it. He knocked on the gold door and called for Yami. "Yami, please. Come out and talk to me. I hate seeing you like this." Yugi called.

It was silent for good few seconds or so before the door opened and Yami stood in the doorway. "Come on in, Yugi." he whispered as he walked back in and Yugi followed, looking around the room that he created. The walls shined with gold and the oak bed that sat in the center of the room was covered in cerise, gold and black silk.

Yami sat down on the bed and Yugi climbed up beside him. "Yami, are you still depressed about what happened yesterday?" Yugi asked and he nodded. "Yeah. I just can't get over it. If I just have a few spare seconds, I could've won." Yami said, barely audible and Yugi strained to hear what he said.

"It's ok. I promise you. I know you lost that duel, Yami, but don't get angry at yourself. You fought tooth and nail against Pegasus and if it wasn't for his tricks and his Sennen Eye, I bet you would've won. I want you to feel better and not have this weight of guilt bringing you down." Yugi kissed Yami's cheek lightly. "Please? For me?" Yami looked to him before curling his tail around him and pulling him upon him as he laid back down on the bed.

"I'll feel better if you stay here with me."

Pouts. "I know what you're thinking, Yami, and I'll be in here forever if we do."

"Come on. You don't want me to be gloomy all day, do you?"

"...No." A sigh. "Fine but don't take long. Recess will be over soon and the last thing I really need is for my friends to look for me."

Smirk. "You know I would never take long."

(Zypher: Behold my funny yet impossibly obvious moments! -grins- I just couldn't help myself by adding that!)

* * *

After school, Yugi said goodbye to his friends before heading home. Yami appeared out of the puzzle when he was close to the game shop, a content smirk on his face. Yugi had to nudge him just to make him stop and Yami only chuckled. "I'm home!" Yugi said as usual. "Welcome back!" Sugoroku replied right by his shoulder, making him jump as he looked to the 8mm player.

"You startled me...I'm so used to hearing your voice from inside the shop when I come home." Yugi said. "Me too. But I'm getting used to being in here..." His grandfather spoke as Yugi went to open the door but spotted the envelope wedged between the frame of the door.

"What's this?" he questioned mostly to himself as he pulled the envelope from the door. Yami looked to it as well. "Do you think it's something from Pegasus?" he questioned. "Maybe." Yugi answered as he opened it and looked inside.

"These are Duel Monsters cards!" he said in surprise. "But they're not just any ordinary Duel Monster cards." Yami said, both unaware of the man cloaked in black watching them from afar. "It says "Voyage to the Kingdom"! This must be the ticket to Duelist Kingdom." Yami spoke and Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Yugi!" A voice called and they turned to see Jou running towards them with the others trailing behind him. "Jou-kun! Everyone! Glad to see you but why did you run here?" Yugi asked. "Brace yourself! Look what I just got! Two videotapes addressed to me! The mailman delivered them today!" Jou said as he held the two packages up that help the two tapes.

"Really? Do you think Pegasus sent one of them?" he questioned. "Dunno but can I watch them here? I don't have a 8mm VCR!" Yugi nodded and they all headed inside and headed up into the living room again.

Once they were there, Yugi placed the cards that he gotten on the floor and they all looked to them, momentarily forgetting about the videos Jou had. "So these are supposed to be the invitation card?" Honda questioned and he nodded.

"Yup! They were just delivered today!" Yugi replied. "Each one tells you a little bit about Duelist Kingdom!" Yami picked up the once that was labeled Voyage to the Kingdom. "Such as this one. This tells you where and when the boat that goes to the kingdom will be. One week from now...at 9:30 at the Domino Pier." he read.

"And the next card is Duelist Kingdom itself! There's a island drawn on it! So the tournament must be on this island named Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi said, holding up the card with Duelist Kingdom written on it. Jou picked up the card labeled Duelist's Glove.

"Isn't this the glove you got in that package yesterday?" he asked and Yugi nodded as he pulled out the box and dug through, grabbing the star chips and the Duelist's Glove. "These star chips must be proof of your status as a duelist. And you must be betting these star chips in every duel you get into." he said.

Keara picked up the last two. "Then there's these cards. The Honor of the King's Right...which by the picture I'm guessing its the prize money the Duelist King wins. But on this card, The Honor of the King Left, has nothing on it. This must be a secret that only the one who becomes king can get." Keara spoke. "And that's pretty much it for the cards!" Yugi said before looking to Jou. "Now, let's watch those videos, Jou-kun!" he said and Jou nodded as he picked up one of the tapes and placed it the VCR.

The screen was blank before a picture of a blonde sphinx appeared. "Hey there bro! It's me, Kaiser! Just sending this to tell you I'll be coming home tomorrow!" he said with a big grin. "So, this is the half-brother you were talking about." Zella said. "Yeah. Honda told you that day I went onto the phony game show that he went out of Japan to find a job. Guess he didn't find one." Jou said as they continued to watch the movie.

"Well, as you can guess, I'm coming back and its cause all the crap-jobs I got wasn't paying off so I'm coming back just to be living with my good ol' half-bro again. See you soon and maybe I'll stop by to meet your new buds that you told me so much about in your letters when I get back!" The video ended there.

"Well, he's still as cheerful as he can be. Just like when you two were younger." Honda said with a laugh. "So, I'm guessing the other tape must be from Pegasus. It has to be." Jou said as he took out the tape and place it into the VCR. Again, the screen was blank until a red haired girl appeared. "Hi there, onii-chan! How is my big brother doing?" the girl questioned and that surprised Jou.

"Jou-kun! Did she say 'big brother?'" Honda questioned in just as much surprise as everyone else. Jou didn't respond and only continued to watch the video. "It's been a long time! I'm sending this video to you and hopefully Kaiser so you two don't forget what I look like! But I wish I could see your faces again!"

The girl's facade started to sadden a little. "Actually, I really wanted to see you and Kaiser in person instead of by video...but you both are so busy..and we live so far apart. I wanted to see you both...for one last time." she whispered.

_'Shizuka!'_ Jou thought in horror, knowing what she meant. _'"One last time?" What could that mean? Is she...?'_ Yugi thought and then looked to Jou, seeing the look of abashed horror. "Onii-chan, don't tell dad about this video." She smiled again and gave a small wave.

"Well, that all...take care of yourselves. Goodbye onii-chan, Kaiser-kun." she spoke before the video ended and Jou lowered his head. Someone was just about to ask what just happened when he started to speak softly.

"Our parent split up about six years ago. Our sister went with our mom. They live pretty far away now...our sister had problem with her eyes ever since she was born...the doctors say she'll go blind eventually..." he explained. "Blind? That's horrible!" Diamond said, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Yeah. When she said "one last time"...that mean...the docs...told her that time has finally come..." Jou finished. "Couldn't they do anything about it? That's not fair!" Zella exclaimed. "I know but they say that even with the most advanced medical treatments in the world, there's a 50 percent chance they can do the surgery. But where in the world can I get that kind of money...!"

Tears started to come to his eyes as he lifted is head up. "Me and Kaiser are supposed to be her big brothers...but even Kaiser can't do a thing to help her if he can't make the money to support that surgery and help me pay off my old man's debts! We're useless!" Jou whispered.

Yami listened quietly before picking up one of the cards on the floor and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Like you told me before. Cheer up, Jou. Don't give up just yet." He held up the Honor of the King's Right card. "You remember this card, right?" He then ask Yugi to hand him a star chip and he did so, curious of what Yami was planning.

"And these star chips are your proof as a duelist! Take one of mine and let win those honors together!" he spoke, handing him both the card and the star chip. "Are you serious...?" Jou asked, not believing what he was hearing. "I'm about as serious as I can be. Let go win that tournament...to save Jii-chan and your sister!" Jou looked to him before smiling. "Alright! For Jii-chan and my sister!" he said in determination.

"We've got one week until we leave! We'll spend it training in Duel Monsters!" Yugi said happily.

"You bet!"

"But wait! What about Kaiser coming back?" Ryou questioned.

"He can come with us! I'm sure he knows of the game too!" Jou said and they all nodded as they prepared to train and also think of some quick day plans for when Kaiser comes.

-One week later-

_On Domino Pier, at 9:00 P.M., the ship for the Kingdom awaited..._

"Brr...it's cold out here..."

"Yeah...and awfully quiet."

"Makes you wonder if the ship's even out here." Yugi took out the card from his pocket and looked at it. "The date on the ticket card is tonight! There's no mistake about it!" he said and then looked up. "Ah! There it is!" he said, pointing to the ship ahead. "And look at all those people!"

Like he said, many kids stood there, some checking out other's cards and talking with one another, mainly about the tournament. "They all must be duelists! No doubt about that!" Kaiser spoke. "But to you two, they're nothing but rivals!" he finished, looking to Jou and Yami.

"Looks like Yami wasn't the only one invited for his dueling skill! Look over there!" Aqua said, pointing over in one direction that revealed Dinosaur Ryuzaki and Insector Haga "Hey! It's that insect dude who won the last tournament and the runner up!" Jou replied in fascination. "This is going to be a tough crowd."

They walked over to the group and listen to the many conversations going amongst the kids before someone arrived on the deck of the boat. "Attention duelists! I2 (Industrial Illusions Inc.) welcomes you to this event! We researched your tournament records and even unofficial duels and handpicked the best duelists of Japan! The star named glory shines above your heads, where any of you could reach. Now is the time duelists! Come cross the seas! Reach for that light to the Duelist Kingdom!" the man spoke in a loud tone, gaining many cheers from the children below.

But one duelist only laughed and the group turned to see who it was. It was an older woman with blonde hair holding a duffel bag in hand. "It's like a pep rally for little kids! But I guess it is mostly kids here anyways!" she said before taking a glance over to them.

"I haven't seen any real competition yet." Of course, just like ever other male that went against her before, Jou and Honda were floored. She then looked over to Yami and laughed. "So, you're the one called Yami, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah and what's it to you?" he spoke, crossing his arms and Yugi nudged him. "Be polite." He whispered. "What a surprise! How can a person like you defeat Kaiba? You're famous, you know, although you don't look like what all the news has been talking about. No wings or a tail. Must be something to boost their ratings." she said before taking a glance to Yugi. "And you must be Motou Yugi, the little dueling apprentice under Yami's wing." she said, giggling lightly and making a blush appear on the younger's face.

Yami growled and pulled him away. During the moment, Honda and Jou sidled up to the female duelist with big grins on their faces.

"Excuse me, ma'am! I'm the friend of the famous Yami! My name is Hon..."

"I'm Jono..."

"Whatever!" she spoke, shutting them up. "Let me tell you this, in a duel...it doesn't matter if my opponent is a kid. Any man who stand in my way will be crushed!" she conveyed before walking off. "My names Kujaku Mai. See you later...boys!" she spoke, making her way onto the boat. Once she was gone, Jou and Honda gave a whistle.

"Man, what a woman!" Honda replied. Jou sniffed the air and smiled widely. "Mmm...the sweet perfume of a beautiful lady..." Jou said. Kaiser groaned and pulled at Jou's ear, walking towards the boat. "Let's go, Romeo. Even I don't go falling head over heels for the first woman I see." he said, Jou complaining as he was dragged off and the others followed, laughing quietly to themselves.

Soon, it hit 9:30 and with a whistle, the boat was on its way. "Attention everyone! I will show you to your rooms. Please follow me!" the burly suit spoke as he walked off, the duelists following behind him.

"With a ship this big, the rooms gotta be swanky!" Jou said eagerly. As they walked, two familiar duelists walks over to Yugi's side. "Excuse me...aren't you Motou Yugi, the one that hangs out with the guy that defeated Kaiba?" The duelist asked and he turned to him. "Yeah! And you're Haga! And Ryuzaki!" he said in surprise.

"Heya!" Ryuzaki greeted.

"Congratulations on winning that tournament, Haga!" Yugi said and he chuckled. "It was nothing." Haga responded. "Yeah. It was only because I went easy on him!" Ryuzaki spoke. Haga focused his attention to Yugi.

"Yami and I will probably duel when we get to the kingdom. I'm eagerly looking forward to it. The truth is, that tournament I won didn't mean much to me. I can't really accept myself as a champion if I don't defeat him and Kaiba." Haga spoke and Yugi's eyes darkened at the thought of Kaiba.

"By the way, did your friend happen to hear about the new rules being introduced to Duel Monsters at the tournament in Duelist Kingdom!"

"What? New rules?" Yugi questioned.

Haga nodded. "Yes. I don't know the details myself but...apparently there's more strategy than before." Ryuzaki snorted to himself. "Hah! 'New rules'? Who cares! That's all hype!" He took a glance to them. "All I know is that in dueling, it's killed or be killed." he said.

"What?" Was the enraged shout and Yugi flinched, recognizing the voice.

"You gotta be kidding me! Whaddya mean we sleep in this common room?" Jou questioned angrily. "We don't even get beds! We should be getting big rooms like they give to rich people!"

"Only the finalists from the last tournament have been given private rooms." Ryuzaki chuckled to himself as he looked to the still enraged duelist. "Tough luck! _We_ get the luxury rooms!" Ryuzaki said. Haga took a glance over to Yugi again as he was about to walk off to comfort his friend.

"You know...in one way, this common room is better than our private rooms. The sponsors may have known that when they assigned our quarters." Haga explained. "See! Look over there!" he spoke, pointing over to the batch of kids already trading and talking about different dueling strategies.

"The people staying in this room can trade cards and improve their decks! And while they're at it, get a peek at what cards their opponents have too..." he finished. _'That surprising and he figure that out just by one look.'_ Yugi thought. Haga turned away, ready to head to his own room.

"And look, even your friend is fitting right in..." Yugi looked over to where Jou was and saw him hopping from person to person, asking to trade cards and seeing what they had. He sweat-dropped a little._ 'Jou-kun's ability to adjust to the situation in just a matter of seconds is surprising as well...'_ Yugi thought.

Ryuzaki only gave a short wave as he headed to his room. "Good luck "improving" your decks! I'll be chilling in the honeymoon suite!" he said as he continued to walk off towards his room. Haga nodded to him as he walked off as well. "Well, I'll see you and I hope that I'll be able to see the fable duelist friend of yours." he said.

"You've got to be kidding me! You're putting a lady like me in this...this...dorm...without even a shower!" Another voice yelled and they all turned their gazes to see it was Mai. "Ah...it's her again." Aqua snorted as he, Yami and Keara came into the room and stood beside Yugi.

"Man, she may be pretty but she sure is loud!" Honda spoke. "Those are the rules, miss." A suit said and she growled. "I want to talk to who's in charge!" she hissed and Ryuzaki chuckled. "Chill out, girl. Keep whining and they'll throw you off the ship to swim to the kingdom." he said and she was surprised to hear him.

_'Hey...that's the runner up from the last tournament...Ryuzaki!'_ She smirked to herself. _'And he's ripe for the picking!'_ Ryuzaki grinned. "You can crash in my room if you want!" he spoke again and she smiled with fake astonishment. "No way! That's so sweet of you!" she exclaimed.

"Let's go back to your room!" she said sweetly and he nodded, already falling for her trick. "Sure!" Ryuzaki led her away and both Jou and Honda growled. _'Lucky jerk!'_ They both thought and Kaiser slapped them both over the head. "Get over it. She's way out of your league anyway!" He then turned to everyone else. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Let's just hang out in the common room! It can be something like a sleepover!" Yugi suggested and they all agreed. "Sounds like fun to me!" Kaiser said happily. "Yeah! And we got all night so let's continue my training in Duel Monsters!" Jou said. "Alright!"

* * *

Back with Mai and Ryuzaki, they just made it to his room and he grinned as he led her inside. "What do you think? Pretty choice, huh?" he questioned and she nodded in agreement. "Wow! This is great!" She then turned to look at him. "And I heard you're a strong player, Ryuzaki-kun!" she said.

"Well. you could say that!" Ryuzaki gloated. She giggled as she walked up behind him. "I like strong guys...as long as they're stronger than me.." she whispered, eyes narrowing a bit. Ryuzaki laughed as he took a glance to her over his shoulder. "Who d'you think you're talking to? No offense, but I think I could beat you."

She sat down, taking out her deck. "I wonder then. You want to challenge me? If you win..." She winked. "I'll do whatever you want...all night long." she said. A flush of red covered Ryuzaki's face and he nodded eagerly. "But before that...could you shuffle my cards?" she asked, placing her deck on the table and he took it, shuffling it quickly. "Done!" he said. _'Finally! Tonight, my years of buying cards is going to pay off!'_ he thought.

"Now you hold the cards...and I'll close my eyes...and name them in order from the top." Mai spoke.

"No way...! There's no way you can do that!" Ryuzaki stated.

"Fine then. Let me prove that theory. The first card is Alluring Shadow." she said and Ryuzaki picked up the card. _'No way! She's right!'_ he thought. "The next card is Harpy Lady. Then Blonde Wave. Then Cyber Bondage." she recited as he drew those cards, seeing that she was right.

She laughed softly as she opened her eyes again. "I always know my cards. I can draw whatever card I like. That's my special ability! Still want to duel me? I warn you now, if you lose, this room is mine." she said. "I'll do it!" he said as he pulled out his own deck.

Mai smirked. _'He's going to regret this.'_

* * *

Back with the group, Yugi, Aqua, Kaiser, Yami, Jou, Ryou and Zella walked outside for a little fresh air. Yugi carried the portable player with him and his grandfather looked up to him. "Yugi...something just doesn't feel right." he spoke and Yugi looked down to his grandfather's image. "Really? What's wrong?" he asked. "Why is Pegasus gathering all these duelists? There just seems to be something fishy about this event to me..."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "I think so too but Yami's really determined to help you but I think he's know that something fishy may be going on too." Yugi said. They heard someone walk out the door and Yugi said a quick goodbye to his grandfather before cutting off the player and turned to see Haga standing there.

"Ahh, Yugi! And Yami!" he spoke as he walked over to them. "Oh! Ohayou, Haga!" Yugi said as he ran over to him, Yami accompanying him at a slower pace. "I got bored in my room so I came out to feel the breeze. Did your trade any good cards in the common room?" he asked.

"No. I'm sticking with the cards I picked myself." Yami said, watching Haga with serious eyes.

"I thought so." he whispered. "The cards you used the defeat Kaiba...you have Exodia in your deck, don't you...?" he asked. "So, you know of my moves already...you must've been examining the duel well." Yami spoke again, eyes narrowing just slightly.

Haga didn't see his gaze and looked to Yugi. "If it's alright with your friend, could you show them to me? They're so rare that even I haven't seen them before." Yugi looked up to Yami, a little worried.

/Should I?/ he asked.

/Go ahead. I want to see what he's up to./

/Ok and if he plans something, I won't restrain you from becoming your demon self. Even a champion like him won't have everyone believing that you are a demon. Those people who saw the duel must've thought they were props or something like that anyway./ Yugi told him before pulling out Yami's deck which his grandfather trusted to him and Yugi now and picked out the five pieces of Exodia and handed them to Haga.

He held the cards, looking at them with amazement. "Well...so this is Exodia, the Forbidden One!" He then turned to look to Yami and Yugi. "You know...I thought long and hard about a strategy to defeat these cards, but I couldn't come up with anything." he spoke, walking closer to the railing of the ship. "But just now, I figured it out..." he whispered and was about to toss the cards overboard when he heard a snarl.

"I wouldn't do that if you value your life." Haga flinched and shakily turned back to where they stood and only saw Yugi there with a huge, looming shadow bearing wings and a tail behind him with the same glowing cerise eyes of Yami. "W-who are y-y-y-you?" he squeaked. The shadow jumped and landed in front of him, revealing himself to be Yami and causing him to fall back in shock and fear. But mostly fear.

"Your worse nightmare if you don't hand back those cards." He hissed and Haga quickly but shakily held up the cards. Yugi calmly walked over and took the from him. "Thank you." He smiled up to Yami before backing off.

Yami glared back down at Haga's whimpering form. "Now, I suggest you get going back to your little private room and prepare yourself cause for what you almost did, I will duel you first and take you out of the tournament." he snarled.

Haga, still frozen in fear, jumped up when Yami gave a menacing roar, bearing sharp rows of teeth and bolted back into the ship's interior. Once he was gone, Yugi walked back over to his side and wrapped his arms around his waist. The others, who saw the spectacle, ran over and Jou started howling with laughter.

"Man, did you see that? He looked like he went pale with fear when he saw Yami!" he said, still laughing. "I know! That was so funny to watch! He look like he was about to wet his pants!" Kaiser said, holding onto Jou as they both collapsed in laughter.

Yugi placed the cards back into his pocket while placing the deck into his other pocket before looking up to Yami. "Glad you were wary about him. If you wasn't, I probably would've lost those cards and Jii-chan would be upset." Yugi said.

"I would never let anything happen to these cards again. Your grandfather trusts us with these cards now and after what Kaiba did to his Blue Eyes, I'm not letting any more cards be thrown casually away like cheap trash." Yami said, curling his tail around Yugi's waist and pulled him into his arms.

Yugi smiled up to him and place a soft kiss upon his lips and his friends, after Jou and Kaiser got over their laughing fit, headed back inside to leave them alone. With the peacefulness of the night, they both decided to stay out a little while longer before heading back inside to head to bed after eating.

* * *

Back inside, Ryuzaki yelped as he was kicked out the room, his cards fluttering to the floor. "Get out, twerp!" Mai said before shutting the door in his face. She laughed to herself as she sat down on the bed. "Men are so easy..." she said to herself.

_As the ship continued its quiet voyage through the night, everyone on board was asleep except for the captain and some guards to make sure nothing happens throughout the night. And as morning rose once again to start the new day, the ship reached it destination..._

_Duelist Kingdom!_

* * *

Zypher: There! Done with the second chapter and had fun scaring the pants off Haga while sitting here tired as ever for fitting two to three duel stories into one chapter! And you wonder why they're so long! At this rate, I'll probably bypass the point Angel's Nocturne stopped in her sequel! Anyways, hoped you like and as for the monster pairings in the side stories, since you are alright with them now, I'll start adding them in.

Now, the parings you have suggested is Black Magician/Celtic Guardian (since two of you asked for it compared to BM/BMG so Yami and Yugi's Genie, please tell me you'll be fine with this pairing instead), Magician of Black Chaos/Black Luster Soldier, and REBD/BEWD. If they're any other pairings in mind, start suggesting them now. At the moment, I was thinking of pairing Flame Swordsman with someone but you'll have to give me suggestions for that. All in all, as I said before, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and will be waiting for the next! See you soon!


	3. The Great Insect Combos: Yami vs Haga

Zypher: Hello hello everyone and welcome to another wondrous chapter of Yami no Game: Dark Saga! Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so here's another for you all.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 3

* * *

As the boat docked onto the shores of Duelist Kingdom, everyone left the boat and waited for the next set of directions. Yami, with his arms around Yugi's shoulders, looked through the pack of children and spotted Haga not far away from them. Haga took a glance over to them and gulped when he saw Yami. He grinned showing his fangs and he flinched. _'Yes, you should be scared. I don't take kindly to people trying to ruin me and my koi's deck.'_ he thought before the same burly suit that was on the boat pointed over to the looming castle not far away from them.

"All duelists must first head towards the castle for an important announcement! When you arrive, wait in front of the gates!" he spoke. They all looked to the castle as they walked towards it. "A castle for a kingdom...it's like the middle ages!" Honda whispered. "Yeah. How bourgeois!" Zella added. They soon reach the top of the staircase and more suits waited on top of a balcony. "We will now explain the rules!" Another said before turning to someone who waited in the doorway.

"Pegasus-sama, if you would do the honors..." he spoke and he walked forward to look down to them, a big smile upon his face. "Welcome everyone! Welcome to Duelist Kingdom!" Yami snarled in anger as he saw the silver haired male stand before them, looking as if nothing happened days before. _'Pegasus, you will pay for what you did.'_ he thought as Pegasus continued with the introduction.

"Let me explain the rules of this special, special tournament! The duels will take place with officially licensed Duel Monster cards! I hope you all brought your most powerful decks! If you're not completely confident of your decks, you may trade cards with one another. Each participant should already received a duel glove and two star chips. At this time, please place the glove on your left hand." Everyone did so before waiting for the next set of directions from Pegasus. "On the gauntlet, you'll see 10 spaces where you can insert your star chips. Go ahead and insert your two star chips now." Again, the kids did as they were told as Pegasus started to speak again.

"These star chips are your life as a duelist! Whenever you fight, you must stake one or more star chips on the outcome! The duels will take place "Battle Royale" style, all around the island. The first duelists to win 10 star chips will be allowed entry into the castle. Only they will have the chance to obtain the "honors"!" he spoke.

Yami thought about what he said earlier about the duels and was wondering to himself._ 'He said the duels will take place around the island...but what does a card tournament need such a large playing area?' _Then he remembered what Haga said to Yugi back on the boat.

_"By the way, did your friend happen to hear about the new rules being introduced to Duel Monsters at the tournament in Duelist Kingdom!"_

_'It seems we'll be playing in a more advanced Duel Monsters game than before...'_ He smirked at the challenge. _'I think I'll have fun with this.'_

"The dueling begins in just one hour! The time limit for the game is 48 hours! At that time, those who have less than 10 star chips will be eliminated! They will be declared losers and deported from the island! Now duelists! I pray for your success!" After that was done, Pegasus headed back inside the castle along with the two suits beside him. Yami watched him go, a slight growl being heard. _'Just you wait, Pegasus. You will pay for what you did!'_ he thought.

-One Hour Later-

"Duel Start!"

-Time Remaining: 47 hours, 58 mins-

"Ok! Let's check this place out!" Jou declared. They all looked around silently. "It looks so peaceful here! It hardly seems like a place to play Duel Monsters!" Diamond said. "And look over there. Those people aren't playing either. I guess we're not the only ones who have any idea of what to do." Zella said. Kaiser looked around some more before spotting a sign not far away. "Hey! There's a sign over there!" Kaiser said and they walked over to it, reading what was labeled on the two arrows pointing in different directions.

"A forest to the left...and a lake to the right..." Yami spoke before sniffing the air. "Let's go to the forest. I can smell Haga's foul scent going in that direction." They nodded and they were soon on their way towards the forest, walking through the dimly lit forest silently. Jou shivered as he looked around.

"Creepy..." he whispered before they heard a voice call out Yami's name. Yami smirked, showing his fangs again. "So, you whipped up some courage to come and face me." he hissed. "O-Of course! All I know is that if I defeat you first, the rest of the competition will be easy." he said, still showing fear to be going up against the demon but knew that he would be praised all around for defeating Yami.

"I challenge you to a duel, right here and right now!"

"You asked for it then." Yami said. "There's a place to duel right here in the forest. This way." Haga spoke as he led them to an almost secluded duel box. "Look! It's one of those duel box things!" Jou spoke as Haga continued to head over to duel box. Haga took a glance back to Yami. _'You may scare me but I will defeat you! Already you have fallen into my trap and I will make sure you are off the island in a matter of seconds!'_ Haga thought.

"Be careful, Yami. Haga may have more tricks up his sleeves." Yugi whispered as he wrapped his arms around him in a loose hug. "I will be fine. Don't worry, my koi." he said kissing the tips of his hair softly before making his way to the duel box and entering inside. The door closed as he went to sit down.

He crossed his arms and Haga took a glance at his glove. "What? You're already down to one star chip? You, the fabled duelist, actually lost a game?" he said and then snickered. "Then all I need to do is take the last one and you'll be booted off the island!" he said as he took a star chip from his glove. "Then I shall stake one of my star chips."

"No, you'll stake both." Yami hissed.

"What!"

"I told you. I'm taking you out first. It's like Ryuzaki said-It's killed or be killed and if I took that meaning literally, you may be dead right now." Haga gulped in fear but then narrowed his eyes. "Well, it isn't fair if I have to stake two star chips and you only stake one! What else are you planning on betting?" he questioned.

"I'll stake my life!" he said. "And taking a demon's life may make you even more well-known than just defeating me and Kaiba." he finished, smirking. Haga laughed at the proposition. "Well! What a new twist but I'll take it! I'll stake two star chips while you stake one and your life!"

"Fine by me."

"C'mon, Yami! Squash that little roach!" Jou called. Some kids wandering through the forest saw them ready to start the duel and started calling out to others.

"Hey! A duel is starting over here!"

"It's Haga, the Japanese champion, and Yami, the duelist that defeated Kaiba!"

"Wow! And this is only the first match?"

Yami and Haga drew their cards and Haga took the first turn. "I'll play Killer Bee in attack mode!" he said, placing the card onto the field and the large bee appeared onto the field. "I counter your move with Mammoth Graveyard! They have the same attack so this should be easy!" Yami spoke as the large skeletal monster appeared onto the field. "Go Mammoth! Attack his Killer Bee!" With a roar, the monster charges in to attack. "Killer Bee counters! Poison Sting!" Haga called and both attacks hit but Mammoth Graveyard was the first to fade away.

_'Their attack points were the same and yet my mammoth was defeated. Haga is trying to keep something hidden from me.'_ he thought and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard him laugh. "Yami...you haven't figured out why I chose the forest as the stage for our duel, have you? Do you want me to tell you?" he questioned.

"It would be nice unless you want to lose your head." Haga shivered as he saw Yami's hands shift into claws for a brief second, showing he was true to his promise before speaking. "Pegasus gave me a special preview of the new rules for Duelist Kingdom! You really want to know? Then look down at the table!"

He looked down and raised a defined eyebrow as he saw the field looked like the surrounding area. "This displays shows the landscape 40 meters in all directions from this battlefield! The place we're in right now is 80 percent forest and 20 percent wasteland! Do you get it now? My insects thrive in the plant life of this forest! As a result, they get a field power bonus that increases their attack and defense power! You can't win against me, Yami! You're life is as good as mine!" Haga declared with another laugh.

Yami only chuckled, his eyes closed. "Hey, what are you laughing about...?" Haga asked uneasily. He opened one eye and smirked. "Look at your insect!" Haga turned to his Killer Bee and squeaked in horror. "No! My Killer Bee is dying!" he exclaimed as his monster, now with two broken tusks stuck inside its body from the mammoth, fading away.

_'Yami's undead monster got a field power bonus from the wasteland portion of the field!'_ Yami grinned, showing sharpened fangs again. "Listen, Haga! I figured out the new rule as soon as I sat down to duel you! You're nothing but an insect next to me and also my prey and I will defeat you!"

Haga growled in irritation. "Fine...the first battle was a draw. But don't count on that happening often!" he said. _'How could he have figure out the rules so quickly and counter my perfect strategy? I thought he wouldn't have learned about the field power bonuses so easily until he realized why he lost against me! Oh well, he may know of the power bonuses but he'll never figure out the other rules associated with the bonus.'_ Haga thought with anger.

"So you figured out the rules. Good for you! It doesn't matter either way! I'll turn this forest into your grave!" Haga said. "You can do it Yami! Beat Haga into the ground!" Yugi called.

"Smoosh those bugs!" Jou cheered. Haga drew his card before picking on out his hand. "I'll play Hercules Beetle! And he gets a power bonus from the forest, making his attack 1950!" he spoke as the giant beetle appeared onto the field. Yami looked to his hand in thought as he drew his card.

_'I don't have any good wasteland cards and most of the field is made up of forest. Time to go for a combo.'_ he thought. "I play the Feral Imp in attack mode! Next, I'll equip him with Horn of the Unicorn! And this will raise his attack enough to defeat your beetle!" he spoke as the little green imp appeared on the field and its small horn glowed, growing into the magical item that increased its attack power.

Haga snickered to himself mentally as he called out his attack. "Go Hercules Beetle! Scissors Boomerang!" Haga commanded as the beetle shot out various blades towards the Feral Imp. "Feral Imp, counter!" Yami called but his monster didn't move. _'Why isn't it attacking...!' _he wondered as his imp was now sliced by the blades and disappeared from the field.

Haga chuckled as he watched Yami's reaction. "Hercules Beetle's attack is 1950 while your imp's true attack was at 1300! You lose 650 life points!" he said with another chuckle as Yami's life points decreased to 1350. Yugi watched in worry as the Feral Imp was destroyed.

_'Why couldn't Feral Imp attack? It clearly had more attack points than Haga's Hercules Beetle so why couldn't he attack...unless the monsters that gets a field power bonus has the initiative!'_ Yugi thought and Yami thought of the same thing. Haga grinned, knowing that Yami was thinking why his imp was destroyed. "In the forest, my insects always win the initiative! That means I have more of an advantage in this battle!" Haga spoke. Yami growled. _'Normally, the insects are weak but on this forest field, they are formidable opponents!'_

"No way! Yami can't lose to bug boy!" Jou said. "He won't! I know he won't! Yami will win against him!" Yugi said, wringing his hands. Aqua walked over to his side and wrapped his arms around him. "Shh, Yugi, don't worry. I know Yami won't lose to the likes of him." Aqua whispered and Yugi nodded. "Ok. I'm just a little worried that Haga might actually have a chance to defeat Yami." Yugi replied. "I agree with Aqua on this, Yugi! I think Yami will pull out a strategy to win!" Ryou spoke up and both Kaiser and Diamond agreed with him.

"It's your turn, Yami! Play your card!" Haga declared. "I don't have a card in my hand to defeat your Hercules Beetle...so I'll play a pawn and end my turn." he said, playing Griffor onto the field. "Hmph! Already on the run by a simple attack? I think we both know who will win!" Haga said before drawing his card and picked up his next monster card. "Now time for my special combo! I play Basic Insect and equip it with the Laser Cannon Armor!" he said as the bug monster appeared onto the field along with the cannon armor on its back, increasing its attack to 2000.

"And we can't forget the power-up from the forest field." he continued as Basic Insect's attack increased to 2600 from the forest field. With Haga's called for an attack, Basic Insect powered up the cannon on its back before blowing Griffor away in one blow. Haga laughed with glee. "You're not even worth fighting if you can't counter!" he said and Yami growled as he drew his next card. "Saiga (or Torike) in defense mode!" Yami said. _'Hang in there, my cards. I'll figure out something soon.'_

"It's not worth my time to wipe away all your stupid low level monsters...so...instead, I'll play this secret card...face down!" Haga said as he placed the card face down on the table. _'A trap card...? It has to be.'_ Yami thought, eyes narrowed. Haga snickered again. _'My trap card will activate the moment Yami declares an attack! All his monsters will be destroyed!'_

_'I can't risk attacking him as long as he has that card on the field!'_ Yami drew his card and placed another face down on the field. _'I'll just have to play a face down card of my own.'_

"Yuk yuk...! Let me guess, a spell card, right? Well, it won't work on me! That card is useless like your monsters!" Haga said as he placed Gokibore onto the field. "My insect army is growing! So what's wrong, Yami? Just try and attack my unbeatable insects!" he gloated. Yami only hissed in anger as he passed every turn with nothing to do as long as his worried about Haga's face down card. "And with each turn you wait, my army grows!" he said as he placed onto the field Giant Flea and Big Ant with the turns Yami passed.

"Prepare to meet the end of your dueling career and your life!" Yami growled again as he placed another low level monster into defense. _'More and more...like the plague of insects they are! But if I attack, I'll be playing right into his hands!'_ Yami judged as he looked to the line of insects against his two defense monsters. Haga laughed joyfully as he drew his card. "How does it feel, Yami? You're caught in my two layer trap with no way to attack me!"

"How is he gonna get out of this? Haga has him majorly trapped." Kaiser said. "He'll think of a way. I know it. He won't lose." Yugi pleaded, worry coursing through the link and it made Yami angry to have Yugi become so worried with the chances of him losing against Haga. Haga laughed in his annoying way as he looked to Yami. "Today we celebrate your death!" He only snorted as he drew his card. "I play the Black Magician!" he spoke. _'But since I can't attack...'_ he thought. "In defense mode!"

"Oho...the Black Magician! That's one of your best cards, isn't it? Instead of indiscriminately raining doom on you like I was planning, I'll destroy that first!" He goaded with a grin. "Basic Insect Laser Cannon! You target...the Black Magician! Attack!" Energy gathered through the cannon before the shot was made, directed towards Black Magician. "Death! Death to the Black Magician!" Haga declared and Yami laughed. _'Huh?'_

"Hey! What's so funny...?" Haga demanded. "You said attack, right? And now you can't take it back!" Yami spoke. "Huh?" Haga said, now trembling with fear. "Remember that card I played face down?" he questioned tauntingly and Haga gasped. _'No way...a trap card?'_

He smirked. "That's right! When you attack, you fell for my trap!" Yami said, flipping over Mirror Force. The blast came in contact with the near invisible shield, reflecting the blast in all directions back towards Haga's monsters. "My Mirror Force reflects your attack and destroys each of your monsters." Yami concluded as each monster was demolished by Haga's own attack. "No! My insect army!" Haga cried. _'The first one to attack falls into the trap...'_ he thought as his life points went down to 450.

"You must've won the tournament by dumb luck...maybe, just maybe..." Yami whispered, chuckling at the gullibility that Haga easily fell for his trap. "The weakest player on this island...is you! No wonder you are such easy prey to bait!" Yami said, outright laughing now and Haga glowered. "Oh yeah! Now do you get it, bug boy? You don't even come close to Yami!" Jou cheered.

"Yeah! To fight a trap card with a trap card! Yami's amazing! He went beyond his opponent's trap to set up a counter-trap!" Ryou added. Yugi smiled as well, glad that Yami was able to put a good move out before he could risk defeat. _'And if that happen...we would never save Jii-chan...'_

A short laugh was heard from behind. "That was a smooth move, all right...but Yami-chan's only taken a small lead..." Mai spoke. They turned to see her there and both Honda and Jou immediately started to drool rivers again. "Kujaku Mai!" They both said and out of nowhere, they were both on the ground, rolling around on the ground in pain, holding huge knots on the back of their heads. "Back down, you wolves." Kaiser said smugly, leaning against a random tree branch he picked up.

"A Duel Monsters game can go from victory to defeat in a single turn! It's too early to get cocky!" she continued, not paying attention to Jou or Honda again. Zella hissed angrily. _'What's she doing, butting in like that!'_ she thought. "Who're you calling 'Yami-chan'? He's definitely not a kid!" she countered, wishing she could tell her exactly what Yami was but she held her tongue. "Listen...Insector Haga is the Japanese champion! Master planner with several winning strategies! The real duel is just beginning and you never know who will win but I'm not gonna bet much on Yami." Mai said.

"I gotta agree with Kujaku-san on this, Zella!" Jou said.

"Yeah, me too!" Honda joined.

"What's with you guys? You should have more faith in Yami!" she hissed. "I'll show them faith." Again, they were on the ground, another huge knot beside the first. Zella laughed before taking a glance to Mai angrily. _'Yami's going to duel her one day and he'll put her in her place about who has skill around here.'_ she thought. Mai only stayed silent now and watched the duel with a smirk.

_'That's it, Yami...show me all your tricks!'_ Mai thought, knowing that when she heard about him dueling already, she wanted to take the chance to see what kind of competition she would have against the one who defeated Kaiba.

"Yami! Beat Haga swiftly!" Diamond called. "Go for it, Yami!" Kaiser called along with her. "You'll regret this, you demon! Now you've really made me mad!" Haga hissed.

"Talk is cheap. Take your frustration...and send it to me through your cards! And I'll give you mine in return!" Yami said, still smirking. _'You're the one who talks big! I still have the ultimate weapon in my insect deck! If I can play that card, victory is mine! Yami! You can't escape the death you placed upon yourself!'_ Haga thought.

"Your side's a little empty, Haga. Maybe you should stop stalling and play some monsters. Or shall I go ahead with my turn?" Yami teased and Haga growled. "Shut up!" He took a card from his hand and placed in on the field. "I play Larvae Moth in defense mode!"

_'Hmm, Larvae Moth...a weak card in both attack and defense...he must be planning to use a combo...'_ he pondered.

Haga hid all emotions but inside, he was grinning. _'Attack me, Yami...with playing such easy bait, I know you'll take it while you have the chance.'_ Haga thought. Yami knew what Haga was planning and wasn't going to fall for it easily. _'His trap card is still active on the field...if I attacked, all my monsters could be destroyed. I can't risk loosing them and becoming vulnerable to lose more life points.'_ he drew a card before picking one out of his hand. _'So time to rid of it!'_

"I play this card! Monster Recovery! Return to your cards, my faithful monsters!" he spoke as the monsters started to return to their cards. "Hmph! Very clever!" Haga said. _'Should've known he would try a way to avoid my trap but too bad that even with the trap, he's not aware of the true reason I place Larvae Moth on the field!'_

Yami returned his cards to the deck and shuffled before drawing a new hand. "Now, from the weakest out of my hand, I sacrifice it to set off your trap." he spoke, placing Kuriboh onto the field in attack mode and called out to attack. As directed, the trap set off, destroying Kuriboh but only doing little damage, Yami's life points decreasing to 1050. "Now, I play Beaver Warrior and end my turn." he said placing the monster into defense mode. Haga grinned as he laughed. "This is rich! You did just as I wanted you to do!" Haga said and Yami snarled. "You little insect!" He hissed.

"This is my true trump card!" he whispered, pulling the card from his hand before placing it onto the field. "The Cocoon of Evolution! I equip it to Larvae Moth!" Yami watched as the cocoon formed around the Larvae Moth until the transformation was completed. Haga laughed in glee.

"For the next five turns, Larvae Moth will gradually evolve into Ultimate Perfect Great Moth! If that happens, the Great Moth will be invulnerable!" Haga told him and Yami growled. "And not only that, it forest surrounding it gives it an extra defense boost!" he continued as the cocoon's defense went from 2000 to 2600. "None of the cards you have can penetrate it now! In five turn and Great Moth will chew you up like a old coat!"

_'If that cocoon hatches, I won't be able to win this match since nothing in my deck can possibly beat that thing!'_ Yami thought as he drew his card. _'I need to defeat it now before it hatches!'_ He looked to the card he drew before placing it out on the field. "Go Gaia the Fierce Knight! Attack that cocoon!" Yami called and with a whinny, the horse charged forwards, its rider prepared for his attack. "Spiral Saber!"

"It's no use!" Haga declared as Gaia's saber hit the cocoon but it bounced off, causing Yami to lose life points. _'The defense is too high now! I won't be able to penetrate it fast enough!'_ Yami thought. "Come on, Yami! You can defeat that cocoon!" Jou called. "Keep trying, Yami! I know you can find a way!" Yugi cried, holding onto the arms wrapped around him. "Give it up, Yami! You can't puncture my cocoon!" Haga gloated. _'And he's right. The Cocoon of Evolution combo is a combo no one has beaten before. So what will you do now?'_ Mai thought.

_'This is tough to deal with. None of my monster cards are suited to the forest field and even if I used a multiple-card combo, with my current hand, nothing can surpass the defense if that cocoon.'_ he thought. "Of course, while the Cocoon of Evolution is on the field, I can't play another card until my monster reaches its perfect form...in other words, that's the end of my turn but inside, my monster is steady growing into a beast you can never compete with!" Haga said. With nothing else to do that could help to defeat the cocoon, Yami passed his turns._ 'Wasting turns and still haven't found a solution!'_ he thought angrily.

Haga snickered to himself as he saw the slight enraged look upon Yami's face with the thoughts of not able to beat his cocoon. _'In just two more turns, the ultimate Perfect Great Moth will be born! I win once he appears!' _he thought with glee. "Hang in there! You can't lose to him!" Yugi called. "Yami! We came to this island together to win the honors of the Duelist King! You can't lose here! Burn down the forest if you have to! Just take out that damn cocoon!" Jou called out, jumping off from his place on the ground as well, and that triggered a plan.

"You amateurs talk too much. Once a duelist sits down for a match, the only person they can believe in is themselves. A real duelist wouldn't even pay attention to you calling out his name over and over all the time..." Mai said and Yugi glared at her. "He listens to us! He knows our feelings and always take them to the highest consent!

"Even when in duels, he know we're behind him all the way and he'll find a way to win this duel! He made a promise to me that he is not planing to break!" Yugi told her. Mai only snorted. _'What a softie...'_ she thought before looking back to the box and saw Yami gave a smile and wink to his friends before turning back to Haga with a near murderous look that now scared the bug duelist.

"Yes! He's good to go!" Jou said happily. _'No way...you're telling me that what they said actually helped him find a way to defeat Haga's combo...!'_ she thought as she watched. "You're gonna regret taunting me, Haga. It's surprising enough you haven't already ran out scared like you did on the boat." Yami hissed before playing two cards onto the field. "Come out, Curse of Dragon! Now combo attack, Flames of Hell!" With a screech, Curse of Dragon flew into the air before letting out a mighty breath of flames towards the cocoon and Haga only laughed.

"That was a dumb move! That accursed dragon's attack is 600 points lower than my cocoon defense!" Haga spoke. Yami chuckled and Haga demanded yet again what was so funny. "You assumed I attacked your cocoon but I wasn't aiming for it. I was attacking the forest itself!" Haga gaped and looked down to the board to see that his forest was nothing but a burned away wasteland. "No! My forest..." he whimpered. "Now your cocoon has lost its field power source, making it a big target for Gaia! Now Gaia, attack that cocoon again with Spiral Saber and sunder it!"

Again, Gaia's horse charged in for the attack and with a hit from his saber, the cocoon burst apart. "Yeah! He finally defeated that thing!" Honda cheered by Ryou wasn't looking too happy. "But wait! What's that thing?" he said, pointing to the shadowy insect now emerging from the cocoon. "No! The monster inside the cocoon is still alive!" Zella said. Haga grinned as his monster appeared. _'He may not have made it to 'Ultimate Perfect form'...but the Great Moth is still strong enough to beat you, Yami! I will rule this battle!'_ he thought.

"Heh...when I see a tough monster, I get excited! I will defeat your supposedly strong monster Haga and take you out!" Yami said. "Watch yourself! That's looks like one tough monster!" Kaiser called. "Who's laughing now, Yami? Who's laughing _**now!**_ Has the fear of seeing my Great Moth shriveled any chances of your victory!" Haga teased. "You wish. I was just thinking of a way to swat that overgrown mosquito!" Yami growled. "Oooh, scary! I'd like to see that happen!"

"Then let's continue this battle!" Yami hissed. "Fine! On my turn, Great Moth, take flight!" Haga said. _'Great, now that giant pain in my backside attacks from the air!'_ Yami thought, eyes narrowed. "First, I'll take out the earthbound knight and beaver warrior!" Haga said, grinning all the while and Yami snorted. _'I can't lose Gaia now! He's my main attack force!'_ he thought as he drew his card. "It all rides on this card!"

"You don't have a chance! Stuck on the ground where he is, Gaia can't raise a finger to attack my moth while he's in the air! That card you drew is useless! Now, Great Moth, attack! Moth Hurricane!" Haga declared and his monster flapped its giant wings, sending gust after gust of strong wind down toward Yami's Beaver Warrior and Gaia.

His life points decreased down to 600 and Haga wailed in laughter. "Gaia the Fierce Knight is dead! Your main power source is gone now!" he said. "Or so you think. You must've missed the writing on my card." Yami said smugly as he showed him the Polymerization card he played.

"No! That can't be...!"

"Yes. Meet Gaia the Dragon Champion! His attack is the same so now we can enjoy an interesting air battle!"

"Or so you think. He doesn't look all that strong to me." Haga said and Yami looked to his monster. Curse of Dragon screeched in anger, twisting around angrily as a mysterious phenomenon caused the two combined monsters to lose attack points. "My monster's attack is dropping rapidly! How can that be happening? Unless..." Yami pondered and then looked to Haga and his Great Moth.

Haga grinned even more. "Allow me to explain! Great Moth's attack doesn't only wipe out flightless monsters but also scatters poison scales into the air which poisons your monster and make him lose attack points with each passing second!"

_'I can't let Gaia's attack decrease any lower or else I'll lose with Great Moth's next attack!'_ He drew his next card and smirked. "I'll play Magic Mist!" he said, placing the card onto the field. A cloud of mist drifted over the field, washing away the poison in the air and ridding Gaia and Curse of Dragon of the poison scales the clung to them. "So you think you're clever, huh? You may have washed away the poison but that won't stop Great Moth from using his ultimate attack! Go my monster, Moth Burning Death Tornado!"

A giant ball of wind gathered before it shot out in a gust of massive damaging wind, destroying Gaia. "No, this can't be the end." Yugi whispered and Aqua brought him closer. "It's not over just yet." But Haga didn't seem to see the same thing for as he laughed, waiting for Yami to lose the last of his life points, he finally noticed that he was still hanging on by a mere 100 life points and he was smirking. "Ha ha indeed." he whispered. "Now what's so funny? How dare you keep laughing when you lost your best monster!" Haga yelled, nearing tears that everything he went through still hasn't defeated Yami yet.

"Because, Gaia was only a decoy for the true monster that will defeat you." Yami said as he drew his card. "Now, meet my exterminator, the Summoned Skull!" The large skull demon appeared onto the field and Haga sighed in relief. _'And to think, I was worried for a second that he would bring out some powerful monster to defeat my moth. If he attacks, his life points go down to zero and he would kill himself!'_ Haga thought. "You haven't learned, have you? There was a specific reason that I use Magic Mist and not just to save my monster from writhing in pain from your moth's poison..."

Haga thought about it before he gasped. _'Oh noooo! Because of the mist...my Great Moth is soaking wet!'_ He thought, looking to his moth that was flapping wildly, trying to dislodge the water gathered on it. "That's right...the Magic Mist soaked your monster and made it a stepping stone for a combo attack with Summoned Skull. And with its effect, your moth becomes vulnerable to electricity and makes it into one giant, flying lightning rod! And not only that but my demon's attack raises as well. Can you guess what I'm going to do next?" Yami taunted and Haga nodded his head slowly.

"Good cause I don't feel like explaining it to you! Go Summoned Skull, attack that drowned rat with Demon Lightning!" Yami called and with a hiss, the demon gathered up the lightning before sending it towards the moth. The moth screeched in pain at the attack hit and with the water, it added more power to the damage and soon, it fell to the ground, scorched. Haga cried out as he watched the loss of his most powerful monster and the last of his life points. _'My...my poor insect...my poor poor Great Moth...destroyed...'_

"Nothing like kin to settle the score." Yami spoke as he looked down to his Summoned Skull who gave a roar of victory before the board cleared away and he stood, picking up his cards. "Yeah, Yami won!" They cheered and Yugi hugged Aqua tightly, glad that see that Yami made it through the battle with no problem. Mai smiled as well.

_'So, even in the toughest situations, he can come out on top...perfect!'_ she thought before walking off along with most of the kids, now pumped up and ready to duel after seeing this match between them. "This can't be true...my insects never lost. Maybe Scythe was right..." he whispered.

"Now now, those are the rules! I'll take these two star chips!" he said, grabbing them from the table before grabbing Haga by the collar of his shirt and lifted him clear of the ground and walked out. He dropped the still stunned duelist and his tail appeared, taking his dueling glove and handed it to Jou who placed it on before placing his own star chip in.

"Now, get off the island, you low down insect! Or shall I pull off your legs one by one instead!" he hissed, crouching low to the ground, in full demon form and Haga jumped up quickly, running off with a cry. Yami lunged. A rip was heard and Haga gave a startled squeak as he ran, a giant hole in his pants revealing his insect-printed underpants.

They all laughed hysterically as they watched the exposed duelist still running, Yami grinning as the cloth was caught in his fangs.

-20 Minutes into Dueling: Insector Haga - _Retired-_

He spat out the cloth before standing once more, placing the two star chips into his glove. _'Three down and seven to go.'_ he thought as he looked towards the direction where the castle stood. _'I'm coming for you, Pegasus!'_

Not far away, a shadowed figure watched them. Another figure, only transparent, laughed as she watched Haga run off. "Now that was entertainment! Haga will be highly embarrassed by the time he reaches the boat with that giant hole in his pants!" The transparent figure spoke, still doubling over with laughter. "Oh hush, Takara. I have to agree, that was funny but right now, we need to think of the perfect time to meet with them." the girl said.

"Why not now?"

"Because they already have a lot on their hands and they still need to gain more star chips. We'll wait until they gain their 10 star chips then we'll meet them." The girl said and Takara snorted as she disappeared. "Whatever. Go ahead and meet them whenever you like then, Phoenix." Phoenix 'pfft'ed at her yami before leaving the forest.

* * *

Zypher: With this act, thus the nickname Weevil "Underpants" was born in the anime version of Yugioh! -laughs- And that's all for today's chapters. Sorry for the long wait since I was hoping to get this out yesterday but then I left out with my dad for a while and didn't get back til late. -scratches head sheepishly- Sorry for that but then again, its a good thing since it gave me the chance to get some more yugioh manga.

With it, I decided to add the little Dungeon Dice Monsters match with Ryuji in through the manga, Jou should be happy since he won't be embarrassed by becoming Ryuji's dog in this, but then I may have to wait it out a little since I don't have volume 9 but hopefully I won't be going on a wild goose chase for this one like I did with volumes 1 and 2. -sighs- Oh well. Enough of my problems and back to the story. Here's another page of the Duel Monsters world. Enjoy.

Note: Before you ask, Takara (Takaramono her full name) and Phoenix are two characters belonging to a friend of mine and she asked for me if I could add them in and I agreed so here they are and ready to help out.

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck-

Celtic was rushing towards the spellcasters home. He heard about Yami winning the duel with a fatal blow from Summoned Skull but also learned of Mahaado's close encounter with being destroyed. He spotted the purple robed magician not far away and with a huge smile, he glomped the magician in a hug, surprising him and causing both to lose their balance.

"Oof! Celtic! What's wrong?" Mahaado asked with surprise. "It's nothing, Mahaado! Just happy to know you wasn't defeated by some lame insect! A monster was talking about the duel between Master Yami and Haga and he mentioned that you was almost destroyed if Master Yami didn't play Mirror Wall." Celtic explained as he stood and helped the magician up.

Mahaado gave a small smile as he looked down to Celtic. "You was worried about me, wasn't you?" Celtic's face flushed slightly and he turned his head away shyly. "Not really. I knew you wouldn't be injured much with a monster with just 100 more attack points than you." he whispered. Mahaado's smile became a light smirk as he placed a hand upon the warrior's shoulder.

"Oh really? From that almost worried sounding tone when you tackled me said you were." he spoke. Celtic flinched lightly and turned to glance back at the magician with a small grin. "Well, look at the time! I better get back and train some more just in case Master Yami gets into another duel! Want to be in top shape!"

"Not so fast, Celtic. I know you were worried and I'm curious why so much?" Mahaado spoke. "You'll laugh." Celtic whispered. "Is that what you worried about when you tell me? You shouldn't think such thoughts, Celtic. We're best friends," he said. _'Even though in my heart, I wish it was more.'_ he thought. "So go on. Tell me why you were so worried if I was hit with that attack?" he pressed. A full red blush appeared on the elven warrior's face before he spoke silently.

"Speak up, Celtic. I can't hear you."

"BecauseIlikeyoualittle."

"Celtic. Speak louder and clearer." Celtic took a deep breath before speaking again. "Because I like you a little." he said and Mahaado was a little taken back. "Did I hear what I thought I heard?" Celtic sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I like you. Really like you and I was so worried if you was hit with that attack, you would be injured badly." Celtic explained before sighing and turning away from him, removing Mahaado's hand from his shoulder.

"But I didn't say anything cause I know you wouldn't feel the same for me and besides, you are a strong monster compared to me and wouldn't find me all that appealing." He kept his face hidden away from the magician so he wouldn't see the crystalline tears coursing down his face as he walked off.

"I better go. I will understand if you're disgusted with me and never want to see me again." he whispered as he started to leave but felt a hand grab his own and he turned to see Mahaado looking down to him, a sincere smile upon his face. Mahaado raised a lithe hand and wiped away Celtic's tears before pulling him into his arms in a loose hug.

"And what makes you think I wouldn't like you back, Celtic? Frankly, ever since Master Yugi's jii-chan assembled this deck, I have harbored feelings for you but since I didn't want to ruin the friendship we created, I didn't say anything." Celtic looked up to him, smiling now since he knew the magician's words were always true.

"Thank you, Mahaado. You don't know how much I worry about telling you. Each day I wanted to but I couldn't cause I didn't want you to reject me and cast me away." Celtic said and Mahaado only wrapped his arms firmly around the warrior, raising a hand to stroke the blonde strands showing from beneath the green and silver helmet he wore.

"Never think that. I myself thought more that you would reject me. I'm glad you haven't." Mahaado leaned down and place a gentle kiss upon the warrior's cheek. "For now, let's keep this our little secret and take our newfound love step by step." he said and Celtic agreed.

"Well, now that this is settled, I better go and train like I said I would." Mahaado chuckled.

"And I thought that was an excuse to run off from me."

"No! Of course not! I may not be the strongest monster in this deck but I'm going to help Master Yami the best I can do. You should go and practice your Magical Hats trick. It's starting to become a little easier to guess where you are." Celtic said with a laugh. "Does it really show? Maybe that trick is starting to wear down a little." Celtic laughed again and leaned up to kiss Mahaado's cheek before leaving the magician to head into the other direction to practice his magic. But even with the future duels ahead, they were both happy to know that they know they liked each other and deep in their hearts, knew that this would soon bloom into love.

And they will wait patiently for that time to come.

* * *

Zypher: -hiding behind a barrier- Is it safe to say I won't be pelted with sharp items? Oh well. Hoped you enjoyed this little page out of the big book of Duel Monsters stories and the added Mahaado and Celtic fluff. They're not fully together just yet but I won't leave them like that for long. Well, keep on reading great stories and I shall see you all soon with another duel filled chapter.


	4. Scented Scheme Tactics: Mai vs Jou

Zypher: Hello again to another wonderful chapter of Yami no Game! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 4

* * *

-2 Hours into Dueling-

After the duel with Haga, Yami now has three star chips while Jou, using his newly acquired glove, has only one. "Alright! Let's get out of this forest! It reeks of loser bugs still!" Jou said, now determined to catch up with Yami and find himself someone to duel. "Do you think Jou-kun will be alright...?" Diamond questioned as they followed the other teen out of the forest.

"Who knows. If there are more duelists around Haga's league of dueling, without the tricks and cheats, then Jou may not have much of a chance. I'm still wondering if he'll be able to make it to the finals...?" Honda replied.

"I guess the only thing we can do is cheer him on...after that, he's on his own to make the right moves when he's in the middle of a duel." Zella said as they soon arrived to a grassy field. "Hey! I bet we can get an awesome view up on that hill!" Jou said as she started sprinting towards said hill. "Geez! This isn't a field trip, Jou-kun!" Zella called before the rest of the group followed him.

Jou smiled as he stood upon the hill, looking out to the sea. _'What a great view...'_ he thought. His gaze turned up to the sky and he saw an image of Shizuka. Her bright smile and eyes and he smiled as well. _'Shizuka, I promise you...I'll show you scenery like this...I'll get that money so they can help you and you can see whatever scenery you like! Whoever you like! Whatever you like! I'll let you see it all!'_

Diamond turned to look behind them. "Hey, look minna! There's duel boxes everywhere around here." she said, pointing to the various ones she could spot. Yami smiled. "Looks like the other duelists got over their cold feet and finally started dueling." he said and Yugi nodded with a smile. "Awright! I'm gonna duel as well!" Jou said with determination. "Pick out a weak person first, Jou!" Honda said from behind him. Yami turned to him. "Also you need to make sure you choose the right spot for your duel, Jou-kun."

"I know! Based on the field you choose will determine whether your monsters are strong or weak. Got it!" Jou replied, looking around still. "Pay attention, Jou-kun." He turned back to him, now having his full attention. "The other duelists might have found out the rules of the island by now. They'll stake out the areas that put their monsters at an advantage and wait for a duelist to come by. So consider what field works best for you cards." he said and Jou nodded. "Well, I have a lot of warrior and beast-warrior cards, so I guess it would be Sogen, the plains field."

"So right here would be Jou's territory." Keara said. "There's mountains to the left and sea to the right so it's best to make sure you don't wander any farther from here and give other people the advantage with making other areas blended together with your own."

"We're done! Give me your star chips and leave!" A familiar voice yelled. Jou shivered. "No...not that voice..." he groaned. "It's coming from that duel box!" Ryou said, pointing to one not far away from them, the girl's laughter being heard from where they were. They walked closer to see what was going on but not any closer in hopes she wouldn't spot them. "Run home to your mommy, kid. This island is no place for an amateur like you." The kid she went up against grunted in disappointment. "I can't believe I lost." he spoke. She smirked as she walked off. "It's her! Kujaku Mai!" Honda said, drool seeping from his mouth.

"And she already has four star chips!" Jou exclaimed. Kaiser whapped Honda over the head and he grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Didn't I tell you she's way out of your league." he said before they heard Mai and the kid start to speak again. "I went easy on you because you're a girl...serves me right..." The kid spoke. "But that wasn't all! How could I concentrate with that little trick you did with your cards! How'd you do it anyway? How can your read your cards while they were face down?" he questioned.

"That...is my secret." she said, turning to take a glance back at him before walking off with a little spring in her step. "One step closer to the prize money!" she said happily before she spotted the group. She smirked before walking over to them with a very happy demeanor. "Hey, Yami. How are your duels going?" she asked sweetly. He snorted but responded with a 'not bad'. _'Hmm, Yami has three star chips...he hasn't been in another duel ever since that one with Haga. But little Jounouchi here only has one...'_ she thought.

Yami watched her intensely, knowing she was about to ask one of them to duel. _'And I'm betting she wants to go up against me so say it already.'_ he thought. "Ok, I've decided! I do want to have a duel! I challenge you, Jounouchi!" she said, pointing to him. He look flabbergasted as he pointed to himself.

"Who me?" he said with shock. Yami was surprised by this as well since he had the feeling that she would have asked to duel against him. _'But I guess she think that with Jou-kun having only one star chip, he's an easy pick to beat easily and take out of the competition.'_ he thought.

"Of course. You won't run away, will you...? Little boy?" she questioned and Jou snorted. "As a duelist, of course I would want to fight Yami like any other person. But with the rules of this island, that wouldn't be a good idea on my part since I may lose...just look what happened to Insector Haga after dueling him!" she said and that got a snicker from Honda and Kaiser at the thought of him still running to the boat with the giant hole in the backside of his pants. "First, I need to crush all the weaklings and collect my star chips! I'll fight Yami after that..." she spoke and Jou sneered at being called a weakling.

Yami bristled angrily. _'What a...! But she is right though. That's the way Pegasus had the island to work.'_ he thought. "Jou-kun won't be able to beat her! Don't accept her challenge!" Diamond said. "She's right! If you lose this duel, it's over!" Honda added. Zella looked down to Yami. "Yami! Please tell him that he shouldn't duel her!"

He was silent once more before smiling. "Jou-kun! Do your best!"

"Thanks, Yami! I knew you'd say that for me!" He left the group's side and they started to complain.

"Wait a sec, Jou!"

"Yami...?"

Jou raised a hand to quiet them. "If I run away right here, right now...then from now on, whenever I look up at the sky, or the mountains...or the horizon...or even the sea...whenever I see such a wonderful view like this," He motioned to the plains around them. "I'll remember that I was the coward who ran away! I don't want to be a wimp! Yeah, there's a part of me afraid since I'm only a beginner at the game...but if there's another me inside of me, then I want him to be someone really cool!" He then looked to Yami. "Right?" Yami nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I get it now. Sorry for trying to get you to back out." Honda said. Diamond agreed while Mai smirked. Jou then looked to her. "I accept your challenge, Mai!" he said, pulling out his deck. "Fine by me." She led him over to the nearest duel box and they sat down for their duel. From outside, the others watched, worrying still if Jou would win but both Yami and Aqua trust that Jou will win. "Good luck, Jou-kun!" Zella called. "Yeah! You can win this!"

Jou nodded before looked to Mai. "Well, you only have one star chip, so I'll bet one as well." she said, removing one from her glove and placing it on the table. "I'll bet mine as well." He placed his on the table. _'This is my only star chip. I lose this and it's over for me.'_

"Ok. the field we'll battle on is 40 percent mountain, 20 percent grassland and 20 percent wasteland." she said and Jou took a glance tot he field and gaped. "What kind of field is this? This is unreal! How can it be in 3-D?" he exclaimed. _'Calm down, Jou-kun. You have the grassland on your side of the field. Use it to your advantage.'_ Yami thought. Jou looked around, his mind thinking that he heard Yami's thought to him before turning his full attention back to Mai. "Hey, Mai? Can I ask you something before we start this duel?" She looked to him questioningly, nodding.

"Why did you come to the island? For honor? For the prize money?"

She smirked. "Both!" She then sat back, looking smug. "If I win the prize money, I'll travel the world...no! I'll live in Paris for years and buy all the chanel and vuitton that I want!" she gloated, a big smile on her face. "Man...that's a pretty weak reason to be here." Jou said and she sat back up, glaring at him. "How dare you! And what about you then? What are you here for?" she demanded.

"I'm here...to save a life!"

She was surprised to hear this and from the sidelines, Yugi, Zella, Honda, Ryou and Diamond cheered him on. _'Go on, Jou-kun, and show her the strength of your convictions!'_ Yami thought as the duel began. Jou drew his five cards and looked over to Mai who had hers face down in front of her. "Wh-Why aren't you looking at your cards?" he said in surprise. "It's simple...I already know my hand." she said._ 'No way...! That can't be possible!'_ he thought. What she said didn't only leave him baffled but the rest of the group was just as surprised.

_'It can't be...how can she tell her cards while they're face down...?'_ Yami wondered, eyes narrowed. She smirked as she looked down to her cards. "I'll go first. For my first card, I'll play Harpy Lady and she gets a power boost from the mountains!" She said as the half lady/half bird monster appeared onto the field and her attack increasing to 1690. "My go! I play Tiger Axe in attack mode. He too gets a power boost from the grasslands. Attack!" Tiger Axe gave a roar before he went to attack Harpy Lady.

Yugi gasped. _'Jou-kun doesn't know yet! With the ability to fly, Harpy Lady can avoid Tiger Axe's attack!'_

As he thought, Harpy Lady flew up into the air, dodging the attack before swooping down. "Go, my Harpy! Scratch Clash!" Tiger Axe roared as the harpy's sharp claws dug into his face, blinding it before another swipe of her claws destroyed him. _'This boy is completely distracted by my technique! What's more is that he's nothing but an amateur! He's no match for me and he'll be on the next boat off this island soon enough!'_ she thought.

"Jou-kun!" Zella cried, ears folded back in worry. "Aww man..! Is there any way he can beat her! She already has the upper hand!" Honda spoke. Yugi would agree with his friends but seeing the look is Yami's eyes said otherwise._ 'He still believes he can win and so do I!'_

Back in the duel box, Jou was still thinking of how Mai could already know her cards while they're face down. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts before drawing a card. "Alright! I'll play Demon Hunter Kojikocy!" he said, placing the monster onto the field and it gained a power boost, raising his attack to 1950. Yami made a sound at Jou's mistake._ 'Jou-kun! You're making the same mistake as before! Not only that but she's may aim for a combo this time! It will be useless to attack with just one card alone!' _he thought.

Mai laughed quietly to herself before drawing her next card. "Then I'll play this." She flipped the card face up and onto the board. "Electro-Whip! Harpy Lady's attack increases by 300 points." The whip appeared in the Harpy Lady's claws, increasing her attack to 1990.

"Now attack that demon hunter, Harpy Lady! Lightning Whip!" Harpy Lady gave a cry before lashing the whip towards Kojikocy and with a yell of pain, he was destroyed and Jou's life points decreased to 1120. "You won't be able to beat my Harpy Lady that easily, especially with a card like that! Each turn, she become more beautiful...more elegant...and most of all, more deadly!"

"Oh yeah! Well take this! Warrior of Gardna!"

"With pleasure! Cyber Bondage! Harpy Lady's attack and defense increases again!" Mai said, flipping over the card without looking at it and Harpy Lady was now equipped with gold armor, her attack increasing to 2490. "Attack again! Cyber Lightning Whip!" With another flick of the whip, Jou's monster was destroyed again and his life points were now at 810. Mai laughed haughtily at him. "Learned your lesson yet? You're nothing but prey to me!" she said. _'How? How is it possible for her to know her cards while they're face down! Does she have ESP or something?'_ he wondered.

_'No! Calm down, Jou-kun! It's just a trick! Don't let it get to you or it'll throw your game off!'_ Yami thought, now trying to connect with him mentally again but he wasn't able to get through. Jou looked down, tears started to well up in his eyes. _'I'm not good enough...I just can't beat her...'_

"C'mon, Jou-kun! You won't lose to her!" Yugi called, catching Mai's attention. "Hey, Yugi!" she called and Yugi turned to her. "What was it you said...? "If you shout, the duelist will hear you feelings..." or something related to that and it will help them win? Then make this wimp win! He needs all the "feelings" you've got!" she goaded and Yugi growled.

"Don't you see now? That kind of thing is useless. And here's some more advice...you can't become a true duelist and play with your friends at the same time! Today's friends can be tomorrow's enemies! That's what it means to be a duelist!" she finished.

"Learn from me, duelists can't trust anyone but themselves! Take that into heart after your defeat!" Jou flinched from her words and Yami snarled. Zella tussled her hair angrily. "Agggh! She's makes me so angry!" she hissed. "You're not the only one! I'll make Jou-kun win against you, Mai! With just one word and he'll defeat you!" he said and she gasped, turning to him. Jou looked to him as well. "Yami...?" he whispered and Yami turned his gaze to him. "Jou-kun! This is a riddle! Answer it and you'll figure out a way to defeat her!" he said.

"Huh?"

"What is 'Something you can show...but you can't see?'" he recited. _'Something you can show but can't see?'_ he wondered and tried to think of the answer. Mai laughed out loud. "That's supposed to be a strategy? That's gonna make him win alright! Sounds great! So let me see that happen!" she said. Jou turned away from his friends and though about the answer. _'Wait! I know. It's friendship! The friendship I share with Yugi and the others! But...this time not even that can help me...'_ He looked back to Yami who was watching him closely.

_'I'm sorry, Yami...I'm too dumb to figure this out. I don't know what you're trying to tell me.'_ He breathed a light sigh. _'Shizuka...I wish you were here so I can see you...I'm nothing but a rotten brother...I can't even fix your eyes...'_

"I wanted to see your face...for one last time..." Her words echoed through his mind and he clenched his free hand in anger, closing his eyes and cursing beneath his breath before relaxing._ 'The world of blindness...I wonder if it's pitch black like this...I can never let you go into a world like this, Shizuka...'_ Soon, he saw a spark of light and started to smell something in the air and opened his eyes again. "I smell something in the air...what was it?" He looked over to Mai who was silent, just waiting to see what exactly was going to help him win.

_'I don't recognize the smell when my eyes were open...I just thought it was that perfume she was wearing but...this time I smell lost of different perfumes! They're each distinct! I noticed them only when my eyes were closed so why...?'_ he pondered and then the realization hit him. "Come on, now! It's your turn! I don't have all day to deal with you!" Mai called. "I got it now! I figured out your little trick!" he said and she gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way! By putting perfumes on your cards in advance...you're able to tell which cards they are by smelling each one! I get what Yami was trying to tell me! You can show the cards, but you can't see the smell..."

Mai gaped in horror. _'No way! He's nothing but a newbie! How could he easily figure out my "Aroma-tactics"?'_ she thought. Jou stood up from his seat and pointed to her. "Man, you weirded me out there for a while but you only did that to throw me off my game! But now that I'm on to your little scheme, I can play to my fullest!" he declared.

"All right, Jou! Teach her a lesson!" Honda cheered. Jou looked over to Yami and smiled. _'Thanks, Yami. You were a big help.'_ he thought and he saw Yami nod before turning back to Mai who was fuming with anger. "So you saw through my trick, big deal! You still couldn't beat me in 1000 years!" she hissed.

"It's strange though...just having my friends watching my back makes me feel like you're not all that tough. And while I'm at it, I'll take you up on that 1000 years thing!" He drew his card and placed it into his hand. "Now, I'll play Baby Dragon in defense mode!" he said and the little orange dragon appeared onto the field with a coo.

_'That card...! Yugi gave Jou-kun that card while we were on the boat!'_

Jou looked over to Yugi and smiled. _'I'm not gonna waste this card you gave me!'_

Mai laughed again. "Good choice, Jounouchi! A card for babies! Well, at least you were smart enough to place it in defense so you wouldn't get hurt when I kill it. So instead of doing that, I'll play this card! Elegant Egotist! The splendid mirror image! Now I have three Harpy Ladies! Harpy Lady one...two...and three!"

"What? Now there's more of them!"

"He already had problems with just one! Now he has to deal with three! This isn't going to go well." Ryou spoke softly. "Jou! Hang in there!" Honda called. Jou gulped with fear and Mai only smiled at the look of fear he held. "I'm glad to see you fear me now but lucky for you, after I use Elegant Egotist, I can't attack. So take your turn." she said as he drew his card.

"I play Garoozis in attack mode! Attack those Harpy Ladies!" Garoozis charged in to attack and they dodged out of the way. "Prey my harpies! Whip Garoozis!" The harpies did as they were told and whipped Garoozis, destroying him and bring Jou down to 120 life points.

_'There's not a card in my deck that can defeat them! I can't win now!'_ he thought.

Yami placed a hand against the box, watching Jou. _'Don't give up just yet, Jou-kun! Kujaku-san's combo is based on powering up one Harpy Lady with more than 10 magic cards and equipment cards! But because of that, it has a fatal flaw! Namely aside from that single Harpy Lady, her deck is filled with nothing but cards to support that monster! If you destroy her Harpy Lady, her whole strategy will fall!'_ he thought to him and Jou nodded, hearing the thought directed to him.

_'You will win if you draw one certain card! The card that Yugi gave to you!'_

-Flashback-

"Hey Yugi!" Jou called as he picked up the box that once contained the puzzle. "What's this box?" he asked as he sat down beside the younger teen. "Oh! That's the box I used to keep the Sennen Puzzle in! But now, I use it to store my very important cards in it." he said as he took off the lid and pulled out the little deck of cards. "Oh yeah! That reminds me," He shuffled through the cards before taking one out. "I wanted to give you this card before I forget about it! You should take it with you to the island!" Jou took the card and read it.

"The Time Wizard? What does he do?"

"He can do lots of things. For example, if you use it with Baby Dragon, it can forward time by a thousand years and turn Baby Dragon into an adult dragon!"

"Wow! That sounds handy!"

Yugi nodded in agreement. "It is! He's a super reliable card! Take it!" Jou smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Yugi!"

-End Flashback-

_'The Time Wizard! That's what I need!'_ Jou thought. "C'mon now! You only have one turn to live! Why don't you give up and give me your cards along with that star chip right now?" Mai said impatiently. Jou looked through his hand and saw he didn't have the monster he needed. _'Great, I don't have it in my hand! I'll have to draw it then and that pretty big odds that I will get it.'_ he thought, looking down to his deck where the card he needed resided.

_Trust in your cards, Jou-kun! Trust in them!'_

Jou closed his eyes and reached for his deck, drawing the card. "Here goes!" he said, hoping that it will be the one. Yami's eyes flashed discreetly as he smiled and when Jou looked to his card. "Yes! Just what I needed! Go Time Wizard!" he declared and the clockwork wizard appeared on the field, getting a slight confused look from Mai. "Don't you know who this is? It can speed up time! It zooms forwards 1000 years and turns the Baby Dragon into an adult!" he said. Yami chuckled. _'You forgotten, Jou...that's not all Time Wizard is capable of.'_ he thought to himself.

"Go Time Wizard! Time Magic!" The monster waved his staff and soon, time started to zoom by until a thousand years have went by and where his Baby Dragon once stood now is a much older dragon. "After 1000 years go by, Baby Dragon becomes Thousand Dragon!" he said. Mai huffed. "So what! Your dragon got a little bigger! That senile old thing can't compared to my harpies' attack! Kill it, Harpy Lady Sisters!" she said but when she looked to the field, she gasped. _'M-My harpies are wrinkly...with gray hair...!'_

Yami snickered to himself. _'Just as I thought! 1000 years passed on the spot and her harpies grew old and lost their power! Poor Kujaku-san...not only losing but losing your beauty may have been too cruel.'_ he thought.

_'Whoa...'_ Jou thought, also surprised. "I-I'm surprised too...I didn't know it'd do that." His facade changed and he grinned. "But either way! Let's go, Thousand Dragon! Attack with Thousand Nose Breath!" The dragon let out a low roar before flapping his wings and launched himself into the air before letting out a wave of fire from his snout to attack the harpies. With that attack, the rest of Mai's life points decreased to zero. "Nnooo! I...I lost..."

The others cheered for Jou's victory and Jou turned to Yami, smiling to him. "Thanks, Yami!" he said and Yami nodded. _'I know your presence was in my mind, helping me out through the duel and I'm glad for that. Your help really did change the way this duel was going.'_ Jou thought before looking back to Mai. "Kujaku Mai...I may not be a "true" duelist but let me tell you this one little thing...there's one thing that doesn't change even after 1000 years..." he said. "What...?" she whispered.

"It's...something you can show...but you can't see!" he said before taking his cards and the star chip he won before leaving out the duel box and they all left, ready for the next challenge awaiting them.

* * *

Zypher: There! Done with this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. Now time for a good ol' story from the big book of Duel Monsters Stories! Enjoy.

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's Deck-

After the duel, all the monsters relaxed. Garoozis groaned in pain as he rubbed at the wounds on his arms. "Man, those harpies can really whip someone." he said as he looked around for Gilta, the only warrior who knew healing magic. He soon spotted the other talking with Fier, the Flame Swordsman, and walked over.

"Hey you two!" he said and they turned to him. "Whoa! What happened to you, Garoozis?" Fier asked in surprise. "The duel Jou-sama got it dealt with some heavy hitting ladies and I took the brunt of the attack from three. I heard someone talking about Kojikocy taking the hit from only one and that was less than what I took but it was still very damaging." he explained and Gilta winced.

"That must've really hurt."

"No kidding. Those whips they had were electric." he explained, wincing again as he moved his tail slightly, stretching some of the wounds there. "Here, let me heal those for you and then I'll go and see Kojikocy." Gilta said as he waved his staff and a green light engulfed the lizard warrior, healing all the whips marks so that the scales were unblemished once more. Garoozis smiled and thanked him. "No problem." Gilta said before he walked off, saying goodbye to them before starting his search for the other warrior.

"Oh yeah! If you see Tiger Axe, you best heal him too. Hear he went blind from an attack to the face before he was hit and destroyed!" Garoozis yelled and Gilta nodded before he was gone from sight. After he was gone, Fier turned to Garoozis. "So, you say Jou-sama won the duel, right? Who was he up against and who defeated the opponent?" he asked and they walked off.

"He was going against that girl. Kujaku Mai I think her name was. Laito was the one to win the duel with time on his side." Garoozis said and Fier nodded. "Must've been harsh with the way you looked after that battle. How did he win?"

"Jou-sama pulled out the Time Wizard and remembering what Master Yugi told him that day before they left for the boat, he combined his Time Magic with Laito, created Meneg and destroyed the Harpy Lady sisters." Garoozis explained.

"So now we have two dragons living here. Hopefully Meneg is wise enough to keep Laito in line even if he's Laito's older self. That little scaly ball of energy is gonna been seen as something annoying by some monster soon enough." Fier said. "I agree with you on that. I think that Gilta himself is getting annoyed with the little dragon since Laito is always seen messing with him while he's training." they both had a laugh about the last time Gilta was seen sparring with Ohtar and the little dragon almost had a question to ask about every second of the spar.

"Yeah. Hopefully Gilta won't try anything." Fier laughed. "Nah. I'm sure he wouldn't. Laito may be an energetic little dragon but we all care for him." Fier said and Garoozis agreed with him. "Well, since it may be a while before Jou-sama finds another battle, how about we go for a little spar ourselves?" Garoozis suggested and Fier agreed before they left for the sparring grounds, passing Gilta on the way who now had the energetic Laito glued to the hip, talking about the duel that Jou won just seconds ago.

* * *

Zypher: Ah, nothing like good humor to add when it comes to Jou's deck. Can't help it either since Jou is one to make a lot of humor on and off the dueling field. -laughs- Anyways, hope you enjoyed the little story and I also need some help with a name for Tiger Axe. Went to my handy elven name site to look up a name for him and Arperilsilmar is the elven name for tiger which I think is a little long. But I want to know what you think. Should his name be that or Tigre, maybe even another name if you guys can think up one. Give me your suggestions or votes in your reviews and I'll see what I will choose for him by the next time Jou gets into a duel. But for now, I'll see you all later.

Translations:

Ohtar: Warrior

Laito (for those who forgotten what it meant from my one shot Western Love in the Lover's Collection): Baby

Meneg: Thousand


	5. Ocean Madness: Yami vs Kajiki

Zypher: And hello to you all again! I welcome you to another chapter to our favorite story! And since I really didn't get a vote for names except two suggestions from dragonlady222 and also another two from my good friend, we'll be choosing between Arperil, Silmar, Salir, Aspher or Baihu. Tell me which name you wish for Tiger Axe to have and I'll give it to him the next time he makes an appearance. But for now, enjoy this chapter everyone!

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 5

* * *

-4 Hours Passed since the Tournament Began. 44 Hours Remaining-

After they walked along, the score for the two duelists of the small groups was Yami with three star chips and Jou with two. Jou smiled as he looked to his hard-earned star chip. He snickered softly to himself and Zella looked over with a slightly peeved look. "Man, Jou-kun spent the last 30 minutes just looking at his star chips, grinning like a maniac." she spoke.

"Shall I hit him over the head with my trusty branch?" Kaiser suggested, waving said branch. "How long did you have that thing? I thought you got rid of it after Yami defeated Haga." Honda asked, placing a hand to the back of his head as a reminder to the last two times he was hit with that branch. "For the past 30 minutes." Kaiser shrugged before changing the subject, looking to Zella.

"But to answer you, I can't blame him. I mean, we all wasn't expecting him to defeat Kujaku in his first battle. You have to give him some credit for that feat." he said. Yeah, I do have to agree with you on that." Zella replied. Yami walked over to Jou's side, smiling. "I'm happy to see you happy, Jou-kun! Let's go and win the next duel as well!" Yami said and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I'm with you there!" he said before a loud gurgle broke the silence around them and Jou held a hand up to his stomach.

"Hey, I'm getting hungry. When are we supposed to be having lunch?" he asked, looking to them. They were silent, looking to one another. Aqua looked over to Keara. "Should you?" he questioned. "I don't know. They're not really that surprised to know that you two are demons and wield magic but since they only know me as a friend to you without magical powers, I don't know their reaction to this and no need to put them in shock with my abilities. Especially when I tell them I'm truly a dragon." she replied. He shrugged his shoulders and looked to him. "We don't have anything, Jou." he said and he gaped. "What do you meant we don't have anything else? Can't you whip up something with your magic?" he asked.

"Don't know if that'll work." Aqua said sheepishly. "We ate all the snacks we had while on the boat and there's not a single restaurant here on the island." Yugi said. "That will become a problem. We can't possibly last two days without food or drinks." he continued. _'Especially since it's been a good while since Yami and Aqua last had a meal and I just can't let their instincts take control and they look for a hapless duelist in the middle of the night to feast on.'_ he thought. Jou turned to Zella and Diamond. "How can you two let this happen! Why didn't you think ahead? You're girls, you should've made lunches!" Zella glared at him. "Watch the comment or else you'll be walking around with a lot of scratches on you, Jou."

"And to think, you would've thought the person who brought us out here would feed us. Stupid, long haired foreigner." Diamond muttered. Honda looked to them all before grinning. "Hey! If it comes down to this, we'll use this book to find out what plants and mushrooms we can eat!" he said, holding up the book and Jou let out a growl. "No way! Do I look like a squirrel to you!" he growled before he sniffed something out in the air. "What's that? Smells good." he said before running off. "It's coming from the direction of the ocean! Let's go minna!" he yelled. "What smell...?" Zella questioned.

"Who knows. Just like when he fought Kujaku Mai...his sense of smell is like a dog's." Honda said before they followed. When they got there, they saw a fire brewing that was cooking fish. "Well look at that! I found some food!" Jou exclaimed. "He's right. Though I wouldn't put it past him if he's hungry." Honda said before he saw Jou already sneaking off towards the waiting meal. "Now our chance! Let's get something while no one's around!" he said. "Hold on, Jou-kun! I think this is a bad idea! Those fish aren't yours!" Diamond called.

He turned back to her with a grin. "Au contraire! The law of the island is whoever steals the star chips wins! So stealing some food's gotta be ok! All part of the game of life, Diamond!" he said and she shuddered. "Note to self, do not play any games with Jou-kun ever if he has stakes like this." she muttered. "Dually noted." Kaiser responded. "I do have to agree with Jou on this one." Honda spoke before jumping from behind their hiding spot and dashed off behind him. "Oh boy..." Yami whispered, looking down to Yugi with a small smile before they all went to follow them.

They sat around the fire and both Jou and Honda took hold of a stick holding the fish and Jou licked his lips. "Man, this looks good! Smells great too!" Jou said greedily. "Let's dig in!" He and Honda was about to take a bite out of their fish when a sapphire colored paw appeared over the cliff nearby.

A sphinx with a glorious sapphire blue coat and fins lining his back while his tail was that of a thresher shark's, came over the edge, a bucket clenched in his teeth as he looked back down as another came up as well. The man, holding a spear that held a still wriggling fish, smiled to him before looking over to where he was cooking fish and gaped. "What the-!" he exclaimed and sneered. "Why...you...you...you jerks! Stop eating our fish!" he shouted but a wave came up, engulfing him.

Jou looked up, turning over to the cliff where the sapphire colored sphinx sat, blinking innocently. "Hey! Did you say something?" he called and said sphinx didn't say a word, only looked back down to see his friend climbing back up onto the cliff. "Stupid wave." He then glance up towards the water dwelling sphinx. "You could've helped." he murmured and the sphinx grinned. The man stood back up before looking back to the others. "All right! Put down the fish! You lowlifes! How dare you eat someone else's fish!" he growled, pointing the spear at Jou who jumped back.

"Huh...?" he said in confusion and fear.

"You're not going to get out of here alive!" Jou stood, glaring at the other. "Wait! We haven't even eaten them!" Jou countered. "Then give it back!" Yami looked over to the man and saw he was wearing a duel glove. "What are you, anyway? You're surely not a duelist!" Jou shouted. "And what if I am?" The other shouted back.

"No way! You're a castaway then, right?" he questioned. "Who's the castaway-!" He pointed to himself. "I'm Ryota Kajiki! Duelist of the sea-!" he said. _'Hmm, at first glance he doesn't look like a duelist or a guy who would play card games...but I guess you never know by looks alone.'_ Yami thought. Back with Jou and Kajiki, they were still arguing, slightly. "So let me get this right...you guys are..." Kajiki started but heard Jou snickering. "Octopus..." he mumbled.

Kajiki growled and took the offending animal off his head and tossed it back into the sea. "Nooo! Don't throw it away! We can eat it-!" Both Jou and Honda called in disdain. He turned back to them. "As I was saying...you guys are duelists as well, eh?" he said before looking to the rest of the group and gasped when he saw who one of them were.

_'It's him! Yami!'_ He then smirked. _'I might've just made the biggest catch I could ever make.'_ he thought with a grin. "Now then...these fish are about done. Sapphire, bring the bucket over here." he said and Sapphire walked over to him, sitting the bucket down. He took a fish from its place and was about to eat when he saw the hungry looks on Jou and Honda's faces.

"Alright, alright! You guys can eat too!" he said. "Sweet! You mean it?" Jou questioned and he nodded. They quickly sat back down and took some cooked fish as well. "Thanks, man!" They both said before they started to eat. "Sapphire, place some more fish down just in case they want seconds." Kajiki said and he nodded, taking out some more sticks and placed the fish on them before setting them in front of the fire. While they cooked, Kajiki talked with the group, smiling not only for the friendly catch but of who he led here.

Once they all ate their fill, they thanked him and Sapphire. Kajiki smiled. "No problem!" he said, taking a raw fish from the bucket of leftovers and tossed it to Sapphire who caught it in his mouth and swallowed it whole. "So Kajiki-san...did you enter the tournament for the prize too?" Zella asked.

"You bet!" he said happily. "I'm gonna spend my money on a boat! Then Sapphire and I'll be able to fish again!" He then laughed. "I hear the prize is huge! If I can score that prize, I can spend the money to get the latest sonar equipped boat. With that combined with Sapphire's natural sonar, I'll get a big catch everyday!"

"A boat, huh?"

"That sounds like a cool way to live!"

Kajiki nodded. "Yes. I grew up watching the sea from the day I was born. It's just like a person to me..I can tell wen it laughs and when it cries. But it works both ways!" he said, taking another fish and tossed it to Sapphire. "The ocean watches us as well. A couple years ago, I was out fishing with my dad like usual...the ocean was in a good mood." He sighed softly, looking out to the sea.

"But then...its mood changed..." They all watched him, concerned as they listened to his story. "The sea rose up and swallowed our boat! My dad and I were saved by Sapphire who saw us fall overboard and took us to his home. We were lucky...but our boat was gone! We couldn't fish anymore!"

Sapphire nodded. "I myself was saddened to hear such sea fairing men like Kajiki-san and his father to not fish anymore and I agree with him wholeheartedly about the moods of the sea. I feel the sea's anger and happiness since I am an ocean dweller and I mostly spend my time there. After I helped them, I went to fish for them and saw that not far away, a oil spill occurred." Sapphire explained. Kajiki sneered in anger. "Those idiots angered the sea! They did it! With their fucking pollution!"

They all were saddened to hear what happened and seeing their expression, Kajiki laughed. "Well anyway...forget about me! Sorry to bore you!" he said with a happy demeanor as he took the last fish in the bucket and tossed it to Sapphire before standing. They nodded as they stood as well. "Well we better get going! Thanks for the fish!" Jou spoke.

"Oh? Are you leaving so soon?" Kajiki whispered as he watched the go. He took the spear and looked to them again. "Hold on just a sec!" he called and they stopped, turning back to them. He chuckled. "I don't have time for small fry..." he spoke before throwing it, the spear embedding itself beside Yami's foot. He growled before looking back to him.

"I'm not dumb enough to let a fish get away after taking my bait! Especially not a fish with a high reputation like you!" he said. Jou huffed. "What the...? What do you mean bait?" he hissed. Kajiki chuckled again. "This place is my turf! So I left behind a few fish for hungry duelists like you! This way you guys come to me - on the beach where the fight's in my favor!" he explained before pointing to Yami. "Let's duel, Yami! You're the catch I'm talking about!" he said and Yami nodded. "Fine by me! I accept your challenge, Kajiki-san!" he said and walked back towards him, Kajiki now leading them towards a duel box that was nearby.

They entered the box and sat down, the other running over to watch with anticipation. "My side of the field is Umi, the ocean! Your side is the wasteland! Is that ok?" he asked and Yami nodded.

"Ok!"

Kajiki smirked as he watched him. _'In a fight on my terrain, you're as good as caught in my net, Yami!'_ he thought. "I bet two star chips!" Kajiki spoke, placing his two star chips down. "Alright." Yami said, also placing two star chips down. "Go, Yami! You can beat him!" Yugi cheered.

"Duel Start!" They drew their five cards and Kajiki started off. "I'll start of with this and it gets a field power boost!" he said, placing the card on the field. "Then I'll play the Imp! Attack!" Yami called but then saw something peculiar that he didn't notice. _'Wait! Where's his monster?'_ he thought, looking around the board in slight confusion.

_'His card is there but there's no hologram of his monster anywhere. How can I fight what I can find or see?'_ Kajiki chuckled again. "Now...like I told you, my Devil Kraken gets a power boost when it fights in the sea! Now go!" Kajiki called and soon, tentacles popped up from the water, grabbing hold of the Imp. _'Impossible! It was hiding underwater the whole time!'_ Yami thought in surprise.

Kajiki laughed. "Drag him into the depth of the sea! Squid Legs Submission Hold! Your Imp dies!" he said. After Yami's monster was destroyed, the tentacles of Kajiki's monster disappeared back beneath the ocean surface. "This is part of my field power source! The Sea Stealth attack! When I'm through with you, you'll have the proper fear and respect of the sea compared to those that have anger the sea many times before!" Kajiki spoke. "That's crazy! How can Yami fight an enemy he can't see?" Honda questioned. "Don't know but let's hope he can figure out something." Ryou replied as they continued to watch the duel.

Kajiki laughed lightly. "This is only the beginning. You haven't seen the true terrors of the sea!" he spoke. "Now come and bring out your next monster!"

Yami drew his cards before looking down to the field. _'As long as I can't see what I'm fighting...'_ he thought as he place Feral Imp down onto the field. _'Best place him in defense mode and then teach him what I'm capable of next turn.'_ Kajiki smirked as he watched him made his move. _'I know what you're up to...!'_ Kajiki drew his card before taking one from his hand.

"I play the Jellyfish in defense mode! This is what they call the "moon of the sea"!" Yami looked to the monster and noticed it wasn't hidden underneath the ocean field. _'This worries me. Why isn't it hidden under the field like the Devil Kraken?'_ he wondered before taking his turn. "Now, I equip Feral Imp with the Horn of the Unicorn and switch him into attack mode!"

"Ah! I see now!" Ryou said with a happy tone and Yugi looked to him. "What is he doing?" he asked. "Kajiki's monsters can hide in the water but the water conducts electricity which is all water monsters' weakness! He going to use the electricity to attack the water itself!" Ryou explained and Yugi, remembering the duel with Pegasus and the fate of Yami's Great White in that battle made him realize that this attack would defeat all of Kajiki's monsters and others to come. "This is great! Go, Yami!" he cheered. He nodded with a smile before calling out for the Feral Imp to attack.

Feral Imp gave a roar as he shot out the magic electricity towards the water but it then redirected itself and aimed for the Jellyfish. "How did that happen?" Yami wonder and Kajiki gave another smirk. "While the Jellyfish is on the board, it acts like a lightning rod, negating the water monsters' greatest of weaknesses!" Kajiki explained. "Not only that but the electricity feeds my Jellyfish! Making him grow and raises his attack and defense!" Jou snorted in anger. "Sheesh! Now those monsters can't even be affected by electricity! He has a pretty packed down strategy!" he spoke.

"Now, it's my turn! Go, Devil Kraken! Squid Legs Submission Hold!" Kajiki called and again, the kraken's tentacles appeared out of the water, circling around the Feral Imp and dragging him underwater. "Your imp is dead!"

Yami watched as his monster disappeared under the waters' surface. _'Jou's right. He does have a good strategy going and if I don't defeat his monsters quickly, I'll be down to my last star chip.'_ he thought before drawing his card. "First, I'll play Silver Fang and then I'll turn him savage with Mystical Moon!" he said as the silver furred wolf appeared on the field and howled as the moon appeared above him, his attack raising to 1560.

Kajiki only laughed. "You'll only waste your precious life with that kind of card! You will never overpower the sea!" he spoke as he drew his card. "Get ready, Yami...this card's going to show you the true terror that the sea holds! Rise from the depths, great Kairyu-shin!"

_'Kairyu-shin? The Sea Dragon God? This may not turn out well.'_ Yami thought as he watched Kajiki play the monster and soon, a huge deluge of water rose up from the card, forming into Kairyu-shin who roared menacingly, his attack rising up to 2340 from the power boost.

"Now, learn of the fate of those that anger the sea! They will have to face the wrath of the Sea Dragon God! Show Yami your wrath, mighty Kairyu-shin!" Kairyu-shin roared again and behind it rose a huge tidal wave that crashed down upon Yami's side of the field, washing away Silver Fang. Yami growled lightly as his monster was destroyed and his life points decreased down to 340.

"Man, this is one-sided! I don't know if Yami will be able to make a comeback!" Kaiser said. "He will! I just know it! We can't give up on him yet!" Yugi said, determined that Yami won't lose and sent all his hope through the link. Kajiki chuckled lightly. "Yami...that attack wasn't intended to just destroy your monster...take a look at your field now!" he said and Yami looked down, gaping in slight horror at seeing that most of his field was gone except for a small piece of land. _'The water level rose and left me with nothing but a piece of land!'_

"This is the wrath of the great Sea Dragon God, Kairyu-shin! With that attack alone, the field is now on my side by 95 percent!" he said with a laugh before looking to Yami. "So what are you going to do now, Yami? You don't have a single water monster in your deck and according to the rules, if it's your turn and you can't play a monster, you lose!" Kajiki stated.

"Come on, Yami! You can figure out a way to save yourself! Please don't give up yet!" Yugi called. "I hope he can make it! He only has so much on the board now to use for his monsters and like Kajiki said, if he can't send out a monster, he'll lose!" Zella said.

Yami drew his card and looked down to the board. _'This will be a big gamble. With only 5 percent of the field being wasteland, I won't have much to do.'_ he thought as he drew his card. "Here's my card. I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense!" he spoke as the large rock monster appeared, just barely fitting upon the island.

"He adjusts to the remaining wasteland field I have! Its attack and defense goes up! Now conduct your move." Yami whispered. "Oh it is, huh? I get what you're up to this time! On your turn, you're going to move you monster into the water and use it as an island! Good idea but not good enough! That strategy is useless!" he said before placing Megadolon onto the field.

"Advance my sea monsters!" he called and they all started swimming towards the island where Yami's monster sat, surrounding him. "Now you're surrounded! It won't be able to move at all and you can't increase the size of your land!" Kajiki declared before laughing. "Yes! I finally defeated Yami!" But when he looked to him, he saw him smirking and chuckling to himself. "Don't laugh unless you've got something to laugh about!" Kajiki said. "Ah, but I do have something to laugh about. I was waiting for this moment!" he said as he drew his card.

"Wat do you mean? You're trapped and there's nothing you can do!" he spoke, hesitation gripping him. "You'll see what I mean." Yami whispered as he switched his soldier into attack mode. "Are you crazy? My monsters are submerged! You can't see them!" he shouted. "I didn't say I was going to attack them...I'm going to attack the moon! My very own card!" he said as the soldier took out one of the swords that were in their sheaths before aiming up for the moon. "Go, Giant Soldier of Stone! Rock Crushing Sword!" Yami declared and the monster thrusted the sword towards the moon, shattering it and with it, the sea started to recede, much to Kajiki's shock.

"The sea...the tide is pulling away!"

"As you should know, the gravitational pull of my Mystical Moon raised the water level and improved Kairyu-shin's attack and once it was destroyed, the water receded just like the tides of the sea in real life! And now, with the moon gone, Kairyu-shin's power is reduced to half of what it was before and leaving all your monsters stranded helplessly on the shore!" Yami explained as Kajiki's monster flailed in futile attempts to return back to Kajiki's side of the board. _'This was something I wasn't expecting! He used his own card to help me take over the terrain and planned it all just to destroy it in the end and trap my monsters!'_ he thought.

"Now, I shall use this card to finish you off! Accursed dragon! Fry those fish with your Flames of Hell!" Yami called and Curse of Dragon roared as it breathed its flames upon Kajiki's monsters, easily destroying them. "No! I lost!" Kajiki cried as his life points decreased to 0. "I knew it! I knew he would win!" Yugi cheered along with the others. "I never doubt him for a second!"

Kajiki rubbed the back of his head lightly before smiling. "You really are good! The biggest catch I could ever make that escapes from me!" Kajiki said with a laugh. "You're not too bad yourself. You are a very honorable duelist and I'm glad to have the chance to duel you." Yami said. Kajiki smiled even more.

"Well, I may be down to my last star chip but I'm not out of the game just yet! I'll start over with just this chip and either you or me is going to win that prize!" Yami smiled and nodded, shaking Kajiki's hand and while doing so, slipped another two crystal hearts and a note into his palm before they left out the duel box and he along with the others left.

Kajiki watched them go before looking down to the crystal hearts and the note.

_'Kajiki-san,_

_You and Sapphire are wonderful people and I would be all the more happy to know you as my friends along with everyone else. I know you two will soon achieve your dream and we'll be behind you the entire way. Good luck._

_Yami'_

Kajiki smiled before slipping the crystal heart around his neck and it glowed the color of the majestic sea itself.

* * *

Zypher: And that shall be all for today's chapter! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter just like all others. Now time for another story from the Big Book of Duel Monster stories. Enjoy

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's deck-

Silver snorted as he coughed up some water. /"That deluge attack did a number on me."/ he spoke quietly to himself as he walked through the throng of monsters, meeting up with Draug, the Death Wolf of Aqua's deck. Draug looked to him. /"Are you alright? You're still drenched to the bone."/ he spoke as he walked with the other wolf.

/"Yeah, I know. I want to get near a fire or something warm to dry off. I shook of as much water as I could after that attack and I still looked like a drowned rat."/ he spoke and Draug chuckled. /"Did you try looking for Koumori Dragon or another monster? Perhaps Mahaado can warm you up a little."/ he suggested.

/"I know but I think Mahaado is occupied with readying Celtic for Master Yami's next battle. No need to bother him with a simple warming-up problem."/ Silver said. Draug nodded. /"Then I suggest go and look for Koumori then, he'll help you warm up. Not as badly as when he was controlled by Pegasus but I'm sure a nice fire from him will do you some good and dry off your fur. If not, Zerio will surely help you."/ he replied and Silver nodded.

/"I know. Best go and find one of them before I catch a cold or something. I'm sure turning into an ice statue because of freezing cold water won't happen."/ Silver said with a laugh and Draug chuckled himself.

/"Let's hope not. Hurry on and maybe if you get dried and warmed up, you can find me back at the den and we can train ourselves before the next battle since you may need it more than I would."/ Silver nodded. /"Too bad Master Aqua didn't decided to duel. He could use the fun and the chance to help out just in case something happened to Master Yami."/ Silver spoke as he started to walk off.

/"Yes, I would like to stretch my limbs in battle for a bit but I'm sure he'll find himself a battle another time."/ Draug spoke before he said goodbye to the other wolf and headed back to the den.

Silver looked around for either Koumori or Zerio, not spotting either dragon around. _'Wonder if they're training somewhere?'_ he thought before spotting Zerio speaking with Dalton, the Winged Dragon and bounded over to them. /"Hey, Zerio! I need a favor!"/ he called and the two dragons turned to him.

/"Man, what happened to you?"/ Zerio asked. /"Latest battle. Those water monsters of Kajiki-san can really knock you flat. That Kairyu-shin he has was the worst but it nice to know that such a faithful duelist has a good, strong monster on his side."/ Zerio nodded in agreement.

/"That does sound good. A faithful monster will always stay by one's side and only duelists true of heart should receive one and by how you describe Kajiki-san, since I was only in the duel for a shorter while, he sounds like the perfect person to have a good monster on hand, especially someone like Kairyu-shin. Now, back to you."/ Zerio said before blowing a breath of fiery air upon the other monster, drying off his sopping wet fur but the result of it was that he now looked like a silver puffball. Dalton laughed with mirth. /"I think Kuriboh is gonna have a rival in whose the fluffiest monster in Master Yami and Master Yugi's deck."/ Dalton said with a chuckle.

Silver pouted as he looked to them. /"Very funny."/ he mumbled as he shook his fur and it settled back slightly. /"Thanks for the warm-up, Zerio."/ he spoke, looking up to the accursed dragon. /"No problem."/ he said with a happy tone. /"Need a ride back to the den while I'm doing you favors?"/ he asked.

/"That sounds like a good idea. Let's ride!"/ Silver barked and Zerio landed so Silver can climb onto his back. /"Hold on tight."/ he warned before lifting up off the ground and flew off towards the Beast monsters den where Draug waited.

* * *

Zypher: There, nothing like a little wolf talk for once since Mahaado nor Celtic was in this battle. At the moment, I can only think of Draug like a wise wolf, friend and teacher to Silver so expect to see Draug (another one out of three elven translations for wolf) be watching over him most of the time. Anywhosit, if you need to know who Zerio is (if the accursed dragon part didn't give enough of a hint), he's the Curse of Dragon. Now, as always, hoped you enjoyed this little story with Silver and I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	6. The Messenger from Hell

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another chapter to Yami no Game! Happy that you all enjoyed the last chapter and also with the votes for Tiger Axe's new name is between Arperil, Tora (new suggestion) and Aspher (so far) so keep those votes coming in! By next chapter, I need the final result! Now on with the story!

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 6

* * *

After defeating Kajiki, the duelist of the sea, the group moved on to the next battle. "Good luck to you all!" Kajiki called, waving to them. They waved back before they were out of sight. "Kajiki-san has that little something that just can't make you hate him." Jou spoke. "I guess all the duelists on the island has their own hopes and dreams" Keara said before looking to Yami and Jou. "And you two do as well." They nodded before Jou jumped ahead of the group. "Now let's head to the next place!" he said and they nodded, walking along.

-5 Hours into the Dueling-

They continued walking along before Aqua heard someone yelling and stopped. Yugi stopped as well and looked to him. "Something wrong, Aqua?" Yugi asked. "Someone is calling for help." he replied before pointing over in the distance where a duelist was being dragged off by a burly suit. "Let go of me-! S-Somebody help me-!" The duelist shouted. "That's enough! Be quiet!" The suit said angrily, trying to keep his hold on the struggling duelist. "Your glove's empty! Now that you've lost all your star chips, you got to get off the island!" The suit said.

"Th-That's not it...! This weird kid stole them from me! He took my star chips and my deck!" The kid cried, struggling still. "I don't care about how you lost them! No star chips, you leave Duelist Kingdom and that's final! Those are the rules! Just give up and leave quietly!" he told the kid.

"That guy in the suit must work for Pegasus..." Honda hissed with anger. "Oh yeah...?" Jou said before stepping towards them. "Hey you! Let the kid go!" he demanded and the suit turn to him, kid in tow but he didn't let go of him. "Did you hear me? His chips were stolen! That's definitely not the same as losing!"

"Other participants are forbidden to interfere...unless you want to be disqualified too!"

The kid struggled again before looking to them with hope. "Hey, what'd the guy that stole your stuff look like?" Honda asked. "We'll go and catch him for you!" The kid nodded, a grateful smile on his face. "I couldn't see his face, he had a bandanna on it...he challenged me to a duel out of nowhere...but the moment I put down my cards and star chips, he jumped up and grabbed them before running off!" the kid explained. "Which way did he run?" Aqua questioned and the kid pointed to his left. "He went that way!"

He nodded and looked to the guard with a snarl. "We'll go and capture that thief. Don't you dare kick him off the island before we can get this settled." The suit chuckled. "I'll think about it..." he said and Jou growled. "Don't forget. I promise you as a man! Star chips are like a duelist's life! I wouldn't dare forgive anyone for taking that away from them! I'll beat him up myself!" he said with determination before looking down to the kid again. "By the way...if I catch this guy, you own me half your star chips as payment." he whispered.

The kid looked baffled. "What?" Aqua chuckled as he pulled Jou away. "No need to worry about him. We'll find this kid and get your things back." he said before leading the blonde haired teen towards the direction the kid pointed them to. They didn't see the stormy gray eyes peering out from the bushes nearby before leaving. When they were gone, the suit pulled out a walkie talkie and contacted the castle. "Pegasus-sama...we've tracked down that kid in Block "D". Repeat! Please send all personnel to Block "D!" he said. He heard some speaking from the other end and nodded.

"Yes sir! We will capture him and bring him back to the castle!" he said before cutting off the connection. _'Now where'd our little thief run off too...?'_ he thought and then saw the kid trying to run off and grabbed the back of his jacket. "And you! You're coming with me! No star chips means off the island you go!" he said and the kid struggled again, shock gripping his mind. _'No, I can't be sent off! Not when those other people are trying to help me!'_ he thought before he was dragged off.

* * *

At the castle, Pegasus sat in a large dining room. Two pictures hung from the walls, one of a woman with blonde hair while the other was a familiar picture of Shadi. Pegasus himself was sitting at the table, a plate of cheese and a wine glass perched in his hand while the other held a comic book.

He took a sip of the wine before laughing heartily as he read the book. "Oh, my dear Funny Rabbit! How droll and witty can you be?" he spoke softly. "The finest wine and Gorgonzola cheese...and the world's best comic made in America...Funny Rabbit! Truly I must be blessed among men!" he spoke. "By the way...what is the status of the duelists?" he asked, looking back to Croquet.

"Sir, it's been six hours since the start of the tournament...out of 40 participants, 12 have already dropped out of the race! The first ship will be departing shortly." Croquet explained. "And of course, dear Yami is still in the running, correct?" Croquet nodded. "Yes sir! He has collected five star chips as of now!" Pegasus smiled brightly. "Oh wonderful! He just must make it to the finals...so he can come to my castle!" he spoke with a happy tone before becoming serious again. "And one more thing...you haven't found that boy yet, have you?" he questioned.

"No sir..so far but not yet..."

Pegasus tsked disappointingly. "And after I invited him to my castle as a private guest. To think that he ran away...he must really have disliked our reception..." Pegasus responded. "I'm sorry, Pegasus-sama. We took our eyes off him only for a moment..." Pegasus chuckled.

"There's no need to worry,? though! I have a good feeling of where he's heading. Keep your eye on Yami! Our guest will be heading to find him, hands down! It won't be long before he shows himself." He then took another glance towards Croquet. "And next time you capture him...lock him up so he doesn't get away. Lock him away in the dungeon if you have to." Croquet nodded.

"Yes sir!"

"Now..." he started, turning to the next page in his comic. "I will bide my time until the duel." he finished.

* * *

The group continued to look around for any sign of the thief but not having any luck. Diamond and Kaiser took to the air in hopes to find him but they were out of luck as well. "Where could he possibly be?" Zella questioned. "No matter how much we look, we can't find him anywhere!" Honda exclaimed.

"He could probably be somewhere else on the island by now!" Yugi sighed. "Maybe we should give up...Honda may be right." he said. Jou growled angrily. "Argggh! If I find that kid, I can get my hands on half his star chips!" he hissed and Honda sweatdropped. _'I'll never get this "Way of the Duelist!" thing anytime soon with how Jou acts...'_ he thought.

Aqua looked out to the ocean before spotting a boat leaving the island. "Look over there! A boat of duelists is leaving the island now!" he said, pointing to the boat.

"Listen, all of you! In case you don't know who I am, I'm the champion of Japan! Give me some more room!" Haga growled, shoving the kid who had his star chips stolen off to the side. "You can't complain, Haga! Even if you are the champion of Japan, you were hilarious with that giant hole in your pants!" A kid laughed.

"Yeah! What happened? Did a duel monster come to life and bite you in the ass?" Another kid spoke laughing and Haga flushed with embarrassment. "Shut up! All you you!" he growled.

"And that kid who had his star chips stolen is on that boat!" Aqua said once he got a glimpse of the duelists on board. "Damn it! That guy in the black suit broke his promise! There goes my star chips!" Jou snarled, clenching his fists in anger. _'So, that's the fate of those that lose this game...they're forced off the island...'_ Yami thought.

"Well, this sucks..." Honda whispered as they watched the boat disappear over the horizon. Again, stormy gray eyes watched them from behind a bush before the kid leapt out. "Yami!" The thief called and they turned to see him there. "What the-! A bandanna!" Jou said in surprise. "He's the thief!"

"Hold on, Jou-kun...I think he's after me!" Yami spoke. "Kid! You want to duel with me, correct?" he asked and he nodded. "Ok then. Let's duel in that battle box over there. Come with me!" he said before walking of and the kid followed behind him, silent along the way. the entered the duel box and sat down, Yami crossing his arms.

"Yami...he agreed to fight with him just like that. Do you think he has something planned, Yugi?" Honda asked, looking down to him. "I don't know but he must have something planned if he's fighting him without any worries." Yugi replied.

"How many star chips do you want to bet?" Yami questioned and the kid held up five fingers. "All my star chips, eh? That's just fine with me!" he said, taking out all five star chips from his glove and placed them down onto the table. The kid looked to them with a gleam in his eyes before digging into his pocket for the star chips he stole.

_'So he is the thief, hands down. That means he wasn't one of the chosen duelists that were invited to come here. So did he steal the star chips just to duel me? And why would he go to such great lengths and cause another duelist his chance for the prize...? Could he be...?'_ Yami looked into the eyes of the kid deeply and he only stared back.

"This is weird! He's gotta know that kid's the thief! So why did he accept the duel?" Jou questioned. "Maybe Yami knows who that kid really is and thinks that dueling him will probably get some information from him." Keara replied and they only watched the duel in silence. They drew their five cards and the kid went first, placing out Man-Eating Plant in attack mode.

"I counter with Winger Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress! Attack from the sky with Fireball Barrage!" he called as his monster appeared onto the field and flew up into the air. He gave a roar before sending a wave of fireballs down towards the enemy monster, destroying it easily and causing the other's life points to decreased to 1400.

He growled before drawing his card and sending out Crocodilus. _'Take this!'_ he thought. "You can't beat me with cards like that! Go Celtic Guardian! Destroy that monster with Silver Blade Slash!" Celtic Guardian gripped the sword tightly in his hands before charging towards the monster and slashing it in half. "Wait...I just realize something...this kid sucks!" Jou proclaimed. "As much as I hate to agree, you're right! This kid is no match for him!" Zella replied.

"Give up now! This game isn't so easy for you with stolen cards!" Yami hissed. The kid's eyes widened in fear before glancing at the star chips and made a grab for them. He took hold of the star chips, dropping three of them, and tried to run off. "Yami! He has your star chips!" Yugi cried and Yami's tail slunk out before wrapping around his waist, capturing him and he struggled as he was lifted clear off the ground.

"Hold it right there!" he spoke. "Aggh! Let go of me!" A familiar voice called. "I knew it! You're..." Yami declared as he grabbed hold of the other's hat and tugged it off, causing obsidian locks to fall, revealing the thief.

Said person looked to Yami with fear as he tried to get away. _'So it was Mokuba but why?'_ Yami wondered. "What th-? That kid was Mokuba?" Honda exclaimed. "If so then why did he try to steal Yami's star chips?" Keara questioned. Mokuba continued to struggle while Yami. _'A better question would be why he's on this island.'_ Yami thought as he walked out, tail still wrapped around Mokuba and Jou immediately ran over, glaring down at Mokuba. "Mokuba, you little weasel! You stole two of Yami's star chips! Give them back!" Jou demanded.

"No! I won't give them back!" he shouted. Jou growled and was about to attack him when Yami pulled him away from the enraged teen and looked to him. "Mokuba...are you still mad at me and Aqua?" he questioned. "Of...Of course I am! You're the ones who made my big brother the way he is!" he hissed. "So he's still..." Yugi started, walking over.

"Yes! In a coma! He's under 24-hour care in the mansion...the world greatest doctors have looked at him but...they say that he might be like this for the rest of his life!" Mokuba explained. They were all silent as they listened to him. Mokuba snarled and turned away from him.

"But don't get the wrong idea...I didn't steal the star chips to get revenge on you!" he said and Yami looked down to him, curious. "Feh...you guys don't even know why Pegasus held this tournament, do you? Then I'll tell you why! He had this tournament to beat you and gain control of Kaiba Corp.!" he shouted, shocking them.

_'What! Pegasus wants Kaiba Corp.?'_ Yami thought. "Explain, Mokuba." Yami demanded. He clenched his fists tighter, looking down.

"Pegasus was the one who created Duel Monsters and established himself as a genius game designer. But he wasn't big enough of a company so his company teamed up with Kaiba Corp. to develop the Virtual Battle Simulator Box! But then that day...he lost to Yami in the last round of his theme park of death, the Death-T! With the president of Kaiba Corp. in a coma, the stock plummeted and Ruby couldn't do a thing! The management got worse and worse then Pegasus took it as an opportunity and jumped in to buy the company!

"Pegasus made an offer to the Big Five...Kaiba Corp's five leading stock holders. Now that nii-sama is gone and Ruby unable to do anything to help the stocks, the Big Five, who owned 60 percent of the company shares, have all the decision-making power! The Big Five liked his offer and planned to agree with it...on one condition..."

_/"Kaiba Corp depended on the image of Kaiba as the number one gamer in Japan! All of our problems started because of that demon kid, Yami! The only way to regain investor confidence is to beat Yami once and for all! Mister Pegasus, if you can defeat Yami in an official game of Duel Monsters, we will dismiss the half-dead Kaiba and also Jewelstone and appoint you as chief executive of Kaiba Corp!" one of the Big Five spoke. Pegasus chuckled as he looked to them. "That's all? I just have to defeat this boy...? Consider it done!" he said./_

Yami crossed his arms, snorting. "I see now...so Pegasus is really looking forward to beating me, isn't he?" he said, chuckling. "Don't laugh, Yami! Not even you can defeat Pegasus!" Mokuba said, facing him again. "Nobody in the world could beat him...even nii-sama told me he was invincible..." Mokuba gave a light sigh. "That's why I came up with my plan...if I could steal all of Yami's star chips, he'd be disqualified before he can fight Pegasus...he wouldn't have lost the match and the agreement between Pegasus and the Big Five wouldn't count!"

"So that's why you came to the island?" Yami questioned. "No! The Big Five brought me here! Because I have the key." Mokuba said with a snicker. "You have the key? The key to what, pray tell?" Aqua asked. "Two nights ago, the Big Five barged into my house! They were going to steal some of the documents in nii-sama's safe. Without Ruby around to catch them in the act, this was the perfect opportunity for them! It was something that they needed to seal the deal with Pegasus. So I swallowed the key to the safe, right in their faces!"

"So that's why they brought you here? If the key's in your stomach then..." Diamond started. "Yeah! Every time I went to the bathroom, those guys would come running to check!" Jou and Honda shuddered and Mokuba looked determined once more. "I won't let them have Kaiba Corp. even if they tear out my guts for the key!" he yelled.

"Mokuba..." Yami whispered. He turned to look to him. "Yami, you and everyone else may not believe this...nii-sama made Death-T to get revenge on you...but his real dream is to build Kaiba Land amusement centers all over the worlds so poor children can have fun! That's why he dedicated his life to Kaiba Corp.! That's why I'll give my life to keep it safe! So when he comes back, he can finish that dream!"

Yugi walked over and Mokuba looked down to him. "I believe you, Mokuba. Now can you believe in Yami and Aqua?" he whispered and motioned for Yami to let him down. He did so, uncurling his tail from around the other's waist. Mokuba looked up to Yami and then back to Yugi.

"Please, give him his star chips back, Mokuba." Yugi pleaded. "And I promise you that I will defeat Pegasus." Yami spoke. He looked down to the star chips in hand before gripping them and looked to Yami, walking toward him. _'I trust you, Yami! I know you can help save Kaiba Corp.!'_ he thought and was about to hand them to him if the unwanted distraction didn't appear.

"Stop right there! Exchanging star chips outside a duel is a violation of the rules! One more move and consider yourself disqualified!" The suit from before spoke and Yami hissed. The man smirked and chuckled. "I finally found you, Mokuba! You sure led a good chase after you escaped from the castle..." he said as he walked over and grabbed hold of his arm holding the star chips.

"Now I'll confiscate those star chips! Give 'em here!" he said, struggling with Mokuba who was still keeping hold of them. He finally got a hold of them and clenched them in his hand and Kaiser ran to him. "Hold it! Two of those star chips belong to Yami! Give them back!" he demanded.

"How many times are you going to make me have to say this? The only way to get star chips is to duel for them!" The suit spoke. "Fine! I challenge you to a duel!" Yami growled, stepping forward. The suit laughed. "Sorry, but I don't play games! But if you insist, I'll arrange for a special opponent! He's right over there!" he said, pointing over to a duel box which was already inhabited with Yami's opponent. "When did they get inside the duel box?" Zella said in surprise. Yami took a glance to the box and then saw something peculiar. "Wait! Th-That's...!" Yugi looked towards the figure.

"Is that Kaiba?" he shouted and they all looked. "Nii-sama...no...that's something that looks like him! Look closer!" Mokuba said and they saw not that what they believed was Kaiba was only a mere puppet and a strange ventriloquist. _"Come in...come in!"_ The puppet spoke. _"Y-Y-Yami...you'll p-p-pay for what you did to me...r-r-revenge...revenge...**revenge**!"_ The puppet hissed. Yami growled. _'You scum...how dare you make fun of Kaiba, one of the greatest duelists I met. I will never forgive you!'_

"There's your opponent! Get in the battle box!" Yami snarled and made his way towards the box and Mokuba growled as he struggled in the other's arms. "You lousy jerk! That's not my brother! Nii-sama's in the hospital! Yami! Beat the guy up and rip him to shreds!" Mokuba declared.

Yami walked in, closing the door behind him before sitting down, pulling his deck from his pocket. The Kaiba puppet pointed to him menacingly. _"Today will be the day I k-k-kill you!"_ The puppet spoke before laughing. Yami snarled, bearing his fangs. "Come on, Yami! Beat that weirdo!" Jou called.

The suit smirked as he held Mokuba still. _'Do you even realize it yet? You opponent is no ordinary duelist who came to this island! That ventriloquist is the first assassin brought to kill you! The doll will disturb and enrage you, throwing you off your game and leading out to your defeat! And when that happens, Kaiba Corp. will belong to Pegasus!'_ he thought before looking down to Mokuba. "By the way! Don't you recognize me, Mokuba?" Mokuba took a glance up to him and gasped. "You're...you're Saruwatari, my bodyguard from Kaiba Corp!" He said in shock.

He chuckled. "I'm honored you still remember me! But even back then I was working for I2! I infiltrated Kaiba Corp as a spy. While babysitting you, I reported all my findings of Kaiba Corp confidential information to Pegasus-sama! And that's not all I stole, Mokuba...just watch!" he said, laughing again. Back in the box, the puppet chuckled again. _"Y-Y-Yami...we'll each bet three star chips!"_ he said. "Fine! I'll bet all my star chips!" Yami said with a growl, placing the last three of his star chips down.

The puppet started first, drawing a card before taking one from the ventriloquist's hand. _"I p-p-play B-B-Battle Ox!"_ it said as the monster appeared on the field. _'Hmm...the minotaur card. That's one of Kaiba's cards.'_ he thought as he drew his card. "Then I'll fight with this! Black Magician!" He said as the magician appeared.

"Attack with Black Magic!" Yami called and the magician waved his staff, destroying the Battle Ox in one hit. _"Noooo! He got me!"_ The puppet cried, its life points decreasing to 1200._ 'The ventriloquist...how much is he planning to joke around with me!'_ Yami thought, snarling again.

"Yami looks pissed but he's winning!"

"It must be because of the Kaiba puppet! He's using that to make Yami angry and try to throw him off his game!"

The puppet drew its next card. _"And now f-f-for my next card..."_ it spoke and chortled. _"The d-d-dragon of r-r-revenge has risen from hell! Are you r-r-eady, Yami?"_ The puppet spoke again and Yami's eyes widened. "He can't have what I think he has...!" The puppet placed down the card and his suspicions were true. _"Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_ The dragon gave a roar and Mokuba gasped. "No way! That's nii-sama's deck!" Mokuba cried and Saruwatari smirked. _'That's right! I stole Kaiba's deck!'_ he thought.

"Be careful, Yami! I2 is using nii-sama's cards to defeat you!" Mokuba shouted. "Don't lose!" Saruwatari chuckled more. _'This is only the beginning! Even if you defeat this assassin, there are others hidden around the island and mixed up with the duelists. The first player killer is the Ventriloquist of the Dead!'_

_'You can't win, Yami! Your own guilt...and Kaiba's grudge will smother and bury you! I will kill you with Kaiba's own cards!'_ The ventriloquist thought._ "It's really m-me, Yami...I am b-b-borrowing the b-body of this doll...to g-g-get my revenge...be prepared..."_ The doll spoke, empty eyes glaring at him. _'It can't be true. Kaiba's soul can't be in that doll or else I would've felt it. But could it be true...that Kaiba's grudge and thirst for vengeance is portrayed through that doll...?'_ Yami pondered and eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yami! Don't get worked up! It's just that ventriloquist throwing his voice to the doll!" Jou yelled. The puppet chuckled again as he took another card from the ventriloquist's hand._ "L-L-Let's play more! I w-w-won't attack yet with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon...by f-f-forfeiting my attack this turn, I can p-play this card face down instead. Soon, your m-m-monsters will have nowhere to run!"_

Yami looked down to the card, trying to contemplate whether it was a trap card or a magic card. "My turn!" he said as he drew his card. _'The Black Magician isn't powerful enough to destroy the Blue-Eyes so I'll have to play on the defensive.'_ Yami thought as he placed the Black Magician into defense mode along with Curse of Dragon.

_"I kn-kn-knew you'd do that! But it w-won't save you...b-b-because I'm playing this trap card! Activate Stop Defense!"_ The puppet declared as it flipped over the card._ "Now all your monsters are in attack mode!"_ it spoke as Black Magician and Curse of Dragon shifted into attack mode. _'No! Now the Blue-Eyes can tear through my defenses to get to me!'_

_"Yes, that's it! There's nowhere to r-r-run or h-hide now! Go Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack the accursed dragon with Burst Stream of Destruction!"_ The dragon roared and let loose a stream and white lightning towards Curse of Dragon, destroying him easily and Yami's life points decreased to 1000.

"Yami!" Yugi cried. Saruwatari laughed. "I bet Kaiba's happy-if he's watching this duel from heaven!" he said and Mokuba shook, tears coming to his eyes. "Nii-sama...nii-sama isn't dead! Nii-sama is not dead! Yami! You told me nii-sama would come back! I...I believed you...I believed you! Where is he now? I've waited and waited for him!" Mokuba shouted towards him.

Yami jolted in realization from Mokuba's words and smirked. _'You're right! Even after all the stuff he put us through, I still need to believe in him!'_ he thought as he drew his card. "I won't lose to the likes of you!" he hissed. He looked to the card and chuckled darkly. "Let's see how good your luck is. I play Magical Hats! Conceal the Black Magician!" Four black hats appeared on the field, Black Magician disappearing under one of them and they shuffled over the board before straightening into a line.

"The Blue-Eyes can only attack one at a time! If he chooses the wrong hat, I get to live for another turn!" Yami said and the ventriloquist growled. "I'll take out your hats one at a time." he hissed through the mask he wore over his mouth. "Burst Stream! Attack the second hat from the right!" The dragon gathered energy again before letting it loose and it blew away the hat but nothing was under it. "Hmph! The magician wasn't under that one!" The ventriloquist spoke. Yami's smirk widened as he drew his card.

"Too bad for you...now I'll play this card! And while I'm at it, I'll place it under a hat." he said. "Now there's three hats left...if you hit my Black Magician, I'll lose 500 points and I'll be defenseless. But on the other hand, if you destroy the wrong one, you may activate the trap card I just played." he spoke. The ventriloquist looked down to the hats, a little fearful and what lied beneath one of them. _'I have a one out of three chance to get the right one and kill that magician.'_ he thought as he drew a card.

He scrutinized the hats before making his attack. "It has to be the middle one! Attack Blue-Eyes with Burst Stream on the middle hat!" he called and again, the dragon unleashed a massive blast towards the hat and the hat disappeared with a hiss, revealing a card underneath. Yami bared his fangs in satisfaction. "Good choice." he whispered. "Good choice for me that is!" As he finished the sentence, a hexagram appeared around the dragon, causing him to loose attack points. "No! My dragon is trapped inside the hexagram!" The ventriloquist spoke.

"Yep and he is going down. Now! Black Magician! Attack the Blue-Eyes with Black Magic!" The magician waved his staff and a blast of dark energy hit the Blue Eyes and with a roar, it disappeared into smoke. The ventriloquist was baffled as the Blue-Eyes was destroyed. "He did it! He defeated the Blue-Eyes!" Honda cheered. Mokuba was surprised to see this as well but the victory was short-lived as the ventriloquist sent out another Blue-Eyes right after the destruction of the other and it easily destroyed the Black Magician.

Yami snarled, his life points decreasing to 500 and the puppet laughed once more. _"What's the matter, Yami? I just played the s-s-second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_ The puppet spoke. _"Have you f-f-forgotten that I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons? Now, p-play your card...so the d-d-dragon can turn it to ashes!"_ Yami sneered, looking down. _'There isn't a card that I have in my deck now...I took out Exodia to make things fair in the tournament and who knew I would need it now. I lost...'_ he thought dejectedly as he placed Feral Imp onto the field.

_"G-Good, you played your final monster, yes?"_ The puppet asked and Yami nodded reluctantly. "Then this is the end! Destroy Yami, Blue-Eyes!" The ventriloquist commanded but the dragon didn't obey. "Huh...! What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?" he demanded but gasped as the dragon fazed off from the field.

"The dragon's vanishing...but why...!" The ventriloquist screeched as he dropped the puppet. _'Kaiba...it has to be him...'_ Yami thought and like he suspected, Kaiba finally woke from his coma and got up from the wheelchair he sat in. A maid walked in before gasping as seeing him up, dropping the tray she was carrying.

"Seto-sama! Seto-sama is awake!" she called. Kaiba looked out to the window, thinking of only one name.

_'Yami...'_

"Hey, Yami! What was that? You made the Blue-Eyes self-destruct!" Jou called. "But why? It was like the card itself refused to attack Yami..." Yugi said. "Come on, Yugi! Cards don't have minds of their own! People does! I mean, people do!" Jou corrected. "Yeah, you may be right." Yugi said.

_'But I still believe that the cards do have thoughts, probably even souls of their very own and even with the way Kaiba acts towards us, the cards still trust him as a master and they know of his wish to defeat Yami but in a fair duel with him reigning over his cards and not someone else.'_ Yugi thought.

"Even with this setback for that guy, this may give Yami a chance to win." Keara said. "Yaay! Go Yami!" Mokuba cheered. "What the...? Did the box virtual reality system malfunction?" Saruwatari questioned. "Yeah right! A Kaiba Corp battle box doesn't break so easily! Nii-sama's cards can't be used by just anyone! Serves that clown right for trying to use them in the first place!" Mokuba said.

"Yami! Kill that ventriloquist!" Saruwatari growled._ 'He may have lasted this long...but there's still one more Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the deck! He survived two attacks but I know there isn't a way for him to survive the last.'_

"Why you..." The ventriloquist growled. "Enough jabber from you! Let's continue this battle!" Yami snarled. "There's no monster on your side of the board! Hurry up and play one!"

The ventriloquist looked down to Kaiba's deck. _'I've lost two of the Blue-Eyes already. The third should be hidden somewhere in the deck. Miracles can't happen twice...if I can draw that last Blue-Eyes, my victory is assured!'_ he thought as he played Grappler in defense mode.

_'So, he's trying to draw out his life until he gets the Blue-Eyes.'_ Yami thought then looked down to his Stop Defense card that was still in play. _'And as long as that card is on the field, I can't protect myself. Once he draws that last Blue-Eyes, I lose...'_ He drew his card and examined his hand for a strategy.

"I place one card face down then play Celtic Guardian in attack mode! Slay Grappler with Silver Blade Slash!" The elf jumped in to attack and slashed Grappler in half, the monster disappearing before its sliced body could hit the field. The ventriloquist drew his card before placing another card in defense mode.

"...And I too place a card face down to end my turn." he said. Yami looked to card, contemplating whether it was a trap or magic card. His eyes narrowed once more as he drew another card. "Alright, I'll play another face down and I place Mystical Elf in attack mode! My turn's over." he said as the blue skinned elf appeared, chanting in a mystical language.

With three monsters on the board and two face down cards, the ventriloquist started to think that if he didn't get the Blue Eyes soon, he would be overwhelmed. The two duelists stared each other down intensely. "Man, there's a bad vibe in the air. It's feels so thick with tension that it's suffocating just to watch them duel." Jou said. "I agree. With two face down cards on both sides, one of them is bound to be a trump card for one of them. Whatever card that would be would decided the duel." Diamond responded.

"Don't worry! Yami's hasn't lost a battle yet and he won't in this one!" Yugi said with determination for his koi.

"Please, Yami! Win this duel!" Mokuba called. "My turn." The ventriloquist spoke and smirk from behind the mask. "Behold the third and final Blue-Eyes!" he said and they gasped. "Yami!" Mokuba cried, hoping that Yami has a card to defeat the last Blue-Eyes. "Now! Slaughter that Holy Elf! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The dragon readied its attack before unleashing it at Mystical Elf. "It's over!" Yami smirked as he flipped over one of his face down cards. "I play my trap card! Mirror Force!"

A mirror dome appeared over Mystical Elf, reflecting the blast back towards the Blue-Eyes. The blast was about to hit the dragon when the ventriloquist laughed. "I play my own trap card! Negate Attack!" he spoke as he flipped the card and various portals appeared in front of the dragon, sucking the fragments of his own blast into nothing. _'Shit...he anticipated my attack...'_ Yami thought, growling lowly. "Your trump card ended up being useless...I'm always one step ahead of you!" The ventriloquist said, laughing again.

"What now? That was probably the last move Yami could make, especially without Exodia in the deck!" Jou said. "No...it's over..." Mokuba whispered sadly and lowered his head, not wanting to see the defeat of Yami which meant the ownership of Kaiba Corp. belonging to Pegasus.

"Now, Yami, this is your last turn! You must be at wits' end without anything to protect you!" Yami chuckled. "Here's my next trump card. You didn't think I was going to give up that easily, did you?" he said as he flipped over the other face down card. "Monster Reborn!" he said, shocking the ventriloquist. _'Impossible! Is he going to bring back one of my cards from the graveyard...?'_ he wondered and Yami gave a short roar.

"Wrong, thief! I'm not bringing back _your _card...It's Kaiba's card that I'm bringing back. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said as the other dragon appeared on the field, glaring at the ventriloquist. _'Curse him! With this I have no choice. They're both equally matched so they will kill one another!'_

"You wish! My Mystical Elf has been chanting a holy spell even since she was on the field. This chant is a bolstering magic that adds her attack to one monster of my choosing! And can you guess which one I'm planning to add those attack points to?" he questioned mockingly. The ventriloquist didn't speak nor did Yami let him. "Are you ready? This is Kaiba's anger for using his deck!" he spoke and the ventriloquist gulped. _'No...I can't lose here!'_

Yami grinned, bearing his fangs and eyes gleaming with a hidden bloodlust. "Die." he hissed. "Holy Burst Stream of Destruction! Destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The dragon roared as he gathered a massive ball of energy which he released not long after, destroying the other Blue-Eyes and dropping the ventriloquist's life points down to zero. Seeing that it wouldn't be long before they came for Mokuba again. Saruwatari left the scene quickly, holding a hand over Mokuba's mouth so he couldn't make a sound to alert them.

The ventriloquist got up from the chair, attempting to leave but Yami snarled as he stood, the holograms disappearing from the field. "You disgusting slime...you think you can get away after this insult to one of the greatest duelists I know? My anger hasn't be quelled and you won't leave until it is!" Yami growled. The ventriloquist backed away in fear as Yami came closer. "Not only did you use Kaiba's cards, you played with his soul like it was a toy...a stupid toy...I will never forgive you!" he hissed, eyes glowing.

"Penalty Game! Show him how it feels to be a toy!" The ventriloquist flinched but nothing happened and he looked around, heaving a sigh of relief but realized that Yami was smirking. He heard something move and looked down to see the puppet that once looked like Kaiba now looked liked him and was crawling towards him.

He backed further into the wall as the puppet advanced and soon reached him. The ventriloquist felt himself being forced down to his knees and he shook in fear as looking to the puppet as it climbed onto his lap and then looked up to him, his face now a twisted, disfigured mess. _**"Gyaaaaagh!"**_ It moaned, reaching up to him and the ventriloquist screamed as he tried to get away but he couldn't move.

Soon enough, the transfer was complete and the body slumped, his soul not inhabiting the doll. Yami looked smug as he grabbed his deck, the star chips and Kaiba's deck before leaving out the duel box. "You did it! You made up the star chips you just lost!" Yugi cheered as he jumped into his arms and Yami smiled.

"Yes, and not only that but I also gained Kaiba's cards back." he said before looking around. "...wait, where's Mokuba?" he questioned. They looked around and realized that Saruwatari and Mokuba were gone.

"Oh no! That suit must've ran off with Mokuba!" Diamond said. "He must be at the castle now!" Honda said. "There may be a spare chance that they're not there yet! Aqua! Diamond! Yami! Kaiser! Take to the skies and see if you can find them nearby! We'll search for him down here!" Keara said and they nodded before unfurling their wings and flew off, searching the island from each direction.

* * *

Back at the mansion, Kaiba, now with Ruby by his side, were walking out. "You fools! Mokuba was abducted and you couldn't even think to alert Ruby of this mishap! Worse enough that you couldn't guard him from this!" Kaiba hissed as they continued walking off.

"We're sorry, sir!" The butlers whispered, bowing as he walked by. The maid that was tending him ran behind them. "Seto-sama, please wait! Where are you going? You can't run off now! You're still not well enough to..."

"Be quiet!" he hissed, looking to her and she flinched, halting her path there. "Prepare the chopper now! We're flying to Pegasus' island!" he said as he left outside, a chopper already fired up for the trip. Ruby looked back to the maid and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll keep an eye on him just in case something happens." he said and she smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Ruby-sama." she whispered and he nodded before leaving out the door, hopping into the chopper with Kaiba before it took off into the sky and towards Pegasus' island.

* * *

Zypher: Done and with not a moment to spare! Hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and now it's time for another wonderful story of the Duel Monsters! Enjoy as always!

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck-

Mahaado walked through the realm, slight wounds on him but he was more focused on finding Celtic. He found the other near the pond and smiled as he walked over. He looked up when he heard the other come by and jumped up, running over to embrace the spellcaster. "Mahaado! Are you alright?" he questioned. "I'm fine." he said. "Are you absolutely sure, Mahaado? I don't need you collapsing on me since I really don't want to drag you all the way back to the spellcasters dorm." he said with a pout and Mahaado laughed.

"Come on, we can head to the spellcasters dorm now so you can rest a bit. It looks like you need it. Don't argue." Mahaado suggested, taking hold of Celtic's arm before he could protest and led him towards the dorm. They soon came upon the vast dorm and some of the magicians greeted them as they walked by, already use to Celtic being around since he was found sometimes in the training grounds sparring with Mahaado. They walked for a few moments before stopping at the door to Mahaado's room and he unlocked it, opening the door and ushering Celtic inside.

Celtic looked around the royal purple room in awe, this being the first time he was even in the magician's room. Mahaado chuckled as he watched him. "Enough awing over my room, Celtic. Rest on the bed for a little while." Mahaado said and Celtic did as he was told, removing his boots, armor and helmet along the way. He placed them off to the side before sitting on the bed and Mahaado walked over, removing his headpiece and setting it down along with his staff in a nearby chair before heading over to the bed.

He sat beside the other and embraced Celtic. Celtic smiled up to him before he realized that Mahaado had placed his staff away without bothering to heal himself. "Mahaado, why didn't you heal yourself?" he questioned. "Because I don't really need healing. It's only a 500 point difference between me and a Blue-Eyes so I'm not too wounded." Mahaado explained. "Either way, I want to see you healed. Like I always say, you need to be at your top performance before Master Yami gets into another battle." Celtic said as he sat up once more and looked to the magician.

"No need to worry, by the time Master Yami finds another battle, I'll be fine." Mahaado reassured. Celtic sighed and lied back down on the soft bed. "I just hate seeing you hurt, Mahaado. I know you can recover from wounds faster, especially when it comes to a Blue-Eyes, but I still hate seeing you come in with even the slightest of scratches." Celtic said softly.

Mahaado smiled as he stroked Celtic's forehead softly. "I love it that you're worried about me but I worry about you too. Other duelists may think you're a weak monster, which is a huge understatement, but you are strong but are wounded easily and I hate seeing you with any wounds from any monster, including myself." Mahaado said, still remembering about how that mage controlled him to attack Celtic.

Celtic smiled and reached up, taking hold of Mahaado's hand and grasped it gently. "I'm happy to know that, Mahaado. I'm glad you're here for me." Celtic whispered. "Same here." he said, leaning down to kiss his forehead lightly before getting up. "How about you rest here for now. I'm sure you'll need it." he said and Celtic nodded in agreement as he snuggled more into the bed and Mahaado covered him. "Sleep well, Celtic." Mahaado whispered as he sat down beside the warrior again and watched him as he slept.

-Shadow Realm: Kaiba's Deck-

The monsters of Kaiba's deck were in a outrage. /"That dirty thief! Oh, if I was a realistic monster, I would tear him to shreds!"/ Yikido hissed.

/"Calm down, Yikido. Be happy that Kaiba-sama is finally awake so we will be returned to him soon. I'm sure that Master Yami will give his word to return Kaiba-sama's deck to him."/ Aoi spoke. Yikido growled again but nodded. Aoi too was mad but he knew that Master Yami would not deny the chance to give Kaiba back their deck.

"So what are we going to do until Kaiba-sama reclaims his deck?" Saggi questioned. /"We will wait. We're safe in Master Yami's hands and I know Kaiba-sama will not waste time to come here since he does need to save Mokuba-sama"/ Aoi said.

Yikido snorted. /"I hate waiting."/ he hissed. /"Then get used to it. It may be a while before Kaiba-sama reaches the island and he will still need to find Master Yami and his friends since they won't stay in the same place for long. We will sit here, relax and not get into a fit about what happened."/ Torone, the third Blue Eyes, spoke. Yikido huffed again but lied down, waiting for Kaiba to come and pick up his deck. The other monsters did the same and things were silent from there spare Yikido's angry snorts.

* * *

Zypher: Yeah, a little short on Kaiba's deck but there wasn't much to say, other than the fact the monsters were ready to kill the ventriloquist for using Kaiba's deck but the Mahaado/Celtic fluff should make up for it. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this wonderful little story and I'll see you in the next chapter.


	7. Prehistoric Battle: Ryuzaki vs Jou

Zypher: And hello all to another wonderful chapter of Yami no Game: Dark Saga! Glad you all enjoy so much and like always, enjoy this chapter just as much! And as for the names for Tiger Axe, the decision has been made and Ashper is now his new name.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 7

* * *

-9 Hours into the Dueling Tournament-

"He's gone! I can't find him anywhere!" Diamond said as she, Yami, Aqua and Kaiser landed back down with the group. "You think they took him to Pegasus' castle?" she questioned. "If so, how are we supposed to help him?" Zella replied. Yami was silent but he soon spoke his answer.

"We will just have to collect 10 star chips to gain entry into the castle." Yami said. They knew he was right cause they can see that even he can't do anything to help Mokuba. As of now, the status was Yami with six star chips and Jou with two. He frowned in disappointment. _'I really need to get more star chips.'_

* * *

In another area, Mai yawned as she was dueling another lowly duelist. "Attack Harpy queens..Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" she spoke with a bored tone as a triangle appeared between the three harpies and a large blast of energy attacked the duelist's monster, destroyed it and the rest of his life points.

"There. You happy? I win..." she spoke, still bored. "Now give me all your star chips and beat it...!" The duelist whined as he handed her his star chips and left out the duel box. "Now I'm out of the tournament!" he sobbed as he walked off.

_'Boring...I just can't get into it like I normally do...'_ she thought with a sigh. She left out the duel box and walked off, ignoring the other duelists that were around. She laid down on the ground, looking up into the sky and soon saw an image of Jounouchi.

_"There's one thing that doesn't change...it's what you can show...but you can't see!"_

She sneered in anger as she sat up. "Argh! That so pisses me off! I can't believe I lost a duel! To somebody like him! The whole world show blow up into smithereens before I let myself lose to a third-rate duelist!" she hissed. _'And that stupid saying! I still don't understand it. It's so irritating!'_ she thought.

She finally relaxed and thought about it. "What's something you can show but can't see? Hmm...a bald guy with a toupee...a skinny girl with a "D" cup...no...that can't be right..." She muttered more to herself, unaware of the person behind her until she heard his voice.

"Ah ha! I finally found you, Kujaku Mai!" Ryuzaki shouted. "Huh...?" she murmured as she turned to face him. "It's me again! Dinosaur Ryuzaki, the world's greatest duelist! Thanks for making a fool out of me on the boat here!" he growled.

_'Great...another irritation...'_ she thought, rubbing her head as she felt a incoming headache. "I want to duel you one more time! Right here and now!" he said and Mai groaned. "Shut up! I'm not interested in fighting a person I already beat once before! Get lost! Shoo!" she hissed.

Ryuzaki sneered, clenching his fists angrily. "Why you...you're making fun of me again, eh...? Listen here! In case you forgotten, I was the runner-up in the last tournament compared to every duelist in Japan! I even have five star chips to prove it!" he said, showing his duelist glove. She only whistled nonchalantly as she held up her own glove, showing Ryuzaki the eight star chips she already gained. _'No way! She already has eight star chips!'_

"Read it and weep! Two more star chips and I'll be in Pegasus' castle! But don't be afraid...I've already decided who I'm going to get my last two chips from! And believe me, he's not a loser like you!" she said. Ryuzaki growled again.

"Who is it? Yami?" he questioned with a flare of anger. _'I'm the one who's going to beat him!'_ She looked away from his as she stood. "No. Before I fight him...there's another guy I have to take down..." She then thought of something and looked to Ryuzaki again.

"Actually, I'll take up on your challenge for a duel...if you follow one condition." she spoke. "You mean it? Then I'm all ears! What's your condition, Mai?" She looked back to him with a slight smirk upon her face.

"You have to beat someone for me first!" Ryuzaki sneered at through though but agreed. _'I hate doing anything for her, but if I've got to, I've got to...'_ He sighed mentally. _'If Blade was here, he would be laughing his ass off at me. I'm glad he went to another country for another Duel Monsters tourney for this week.'_

"I'll do it! So, who is this guy you hate so much?" he asked as he walked over to her. "Come with me and you'll find out." she said as she walked off but stopped short and looked back to him. "Oh, and before I forget, until you beat him, you're my slave. Got it?" she spoke and Ryuzaki sputtered.

"What? That's crazy!" he said. "Fine then, I guess you don't want to duel against me then." she said and started walking off again. "Oh fine! I'll be your slave!" he hissed as he followed behind her. They walked for a while before Mai spoke up again.

"By the way...riddle me this: What's something you can show but can't see?" she asked. "What's this, a quiz?" he muttered to himself before thinking of something. "Oh! I know! It's the octopus in a piece of takoyaki (Japanese snack food made of fried octopus covered in batter)! That one's easy!" She groaned. _'It was stupid of me to ask!'_ she thought. "Come on, slave!" Mai hissed as she started walking off again. "Grr...I'm sick of your bossy tone already!"

* * *

Soon, they group made it into a plains area where some duelists roamed and Jou, eager for another battle, went up to a random kid. "Hey! Wanna duel against me?" The kid looked to him before seeing Yami not far behind him and gulped. "That guy with you...he's Yami, isn't he? I'll pass...I don't want to fight him next..." he said in slight fear before running off.

"No! Wait!" Jou stomped his foot angrily. "Man, he got away! That's the fourth person today!" Jou growled. "I don't believe it myself. Just one look at Yami and they run off. He doesn't even need to be a demon to scare people off." Zella said. "Cowards.." Jou mumbled.

"This will become a problem. If everyone is scared of facing Yami, Jou-kun will never get to duel." Ryou said.

"And if we let him go by himself, he might get his butt kicked." Honda added. "Shut up, Honda! I don't see you dueling!"

"Oho ho ho ho!" Jou jumped when he heard the familiar laugh. "No, not her. I recognize that laugh anywhere." Jou said as he turned slowly to look behind him. "We meet again, Jounouchi!" Mai said with another laugh. "Ulp...it's you again!" Jou nearly shouted in terror. She chuckled to herself as she looked to them.

"I see that you guys are glued to the hip, as usual! Do you all walk in a line as well? Maybe you were all little ducklings in your past life." she said and Aqua snorted. "Ducklings. That's the understatement of the day if she actually knew what me and Yami were." he spoke quietly.

"We're not ducklings!" Jou defended, sneering. Mai only laughed to herself again before looking to Yami, almost thinking she saw a tail swaying behind him. "Be honest, Yami...isn't it a nuisance to have all these people tailing after you? I can bet if you were alone and not with these dead-weights hanging off you, you would be at the castle by now." Mai said.

Yami's eyes narrowed into a glare but didn't say a word. Her eyes also narrowed but she smirked smugly. _'Oops...I must've made him mad. Better not provoke him or else he may duel me and kick me out the tournament. Besides, this isn't the time to fight him just yet...my real target happens to be...'_ She pointed to Jou, the smirk still on her face.

"Jounouchi! I let you defeat me last time...but this time you have to fight my slave!" she told him and he looked baffled. "Your slave?" he questioned. Ryuzaki came from behind the tree and snickered. "Heh heh...long time no see, Yami! And how are _you_ doing, Jounouchi?" he asked with a sarcastic tone.

_'Dinosaur Ryuzaki! The powerhouse player who was the runner-up of the previous tournament. Can Jounouchi have a spare chance of beating him?'_ Yami thought. "Fine! I'll take you on!" Jou spoke, clenching a fist in anger.

Ryuzaki smirked. "Alright then." he said. _'What a sucker...no matter how you look at him. I should thank Mai for such an easy duel.'_ he thought. "Uh, Jou! Wait a minute! Shouldn't you think about this?" Honda said and Jou glowered.

"I'm not a duckling!" he hissed. "Wait! What does that have to do with anything? You might be getting yourself into a duel you can't win and if you lose this, you may lose all your star chips and be booted off the island!" Honda said.

Mai only watch the exchange with a small smirk. _'What a simple guy...I wish I could play you again and win back my star chips but that would be a little immature. If Ryuzaki beats Jounouchi, and I beat Ryuzaki afterward, then in a way, it's like beating them both!'_ she thought.

Zella seethed a little in anger with seeing Mai again. _'What is the matter with her anyway? Why is she always going after Jou-kun? It's obvious she's afraid of losing to Yami but she doesn't have to take it out on Jou-kun!'_ she thought then took a glance to Yami. _'Just wait and see! Yami will support Jou-kun just like he did last time and he'll win this duel without a problem!'_

After Honda and Jou's little verbal spar, Ryuzaki pointed over to a duel box not far from them. "Is that battle box ok with you?"

"Yeah!"

"Fine then! I'll be waiting for you!" he said as he walked off, Mai following. "Get him, Ryuzakiiiiii!" she gushed. Jou watched them leave before looking to Yami. "Yami, I have a favor to ask you." he spoke and Yami turned to him. "In this duel...don't give me any advice." Jou said, surprising everyone.

"What are you saying?"

"Are you nuts, Jou?"

"Ryuzaki is not a person you can beat easily!"

Jou only smiled. "It's pretty dumb of me, huh? In my mind, I'm yelling at myself for what I just suggested. If I bet all my star chips in this duel and lose, it's all over for me...I won't be able to save Shizuka...but...I want to win on my own for once!" he said, giving a determined look to them.

"If I can win...Shizuka can win too! That's how I feel!" he finished and Yugi nodded. "That's how I feel too and I know you can win, Jou-kun!" Yugi said and then turned to them. "Come on! Let's root for him!"

"Yeah!"

"You're right!"

Jou smiled to them before he made his way to the duel box, everyone following behind him. But they didn't notice to slight look of fear that passed his face.

_'Great, without Yami saying anything throughout the duel, even to Yugi, I'm worried. His voice always holds confidence and that normally gives me my confidence.'_ he thought as he entered the box, closing the door behind him and sitting down, bringing out his deck and they both placed their decks on the table.

"Beat him, my faithful slave! There'll be a prize for you if you win!" Mai called. "You can do it, Jou-kun! Make his dumb dinosaurs extinct!" Honda shouted.

Ryuzaki chuckled to himself. "The audience is pretty lively, huh? By the way, how many star chips are we betting?" Ryuzaki questioned. "All of them! All two of the star chips I have!" Jou said, placing his down. "All right! Two for me, too." Ryuzaki said, placing his down as well.

"This field is part wasteland and part grassland! My dinosaurs cards will get a power boost because of the wasteland. Get ready, alright?" he spoke. Jou didn't respond but knew that his deck will be pretty strong but he knew of a way to win. _'With the same combo I used to defeat Mai.'_

"Let's start!" Ryuzaki called and they drew their cards after they shuffled their decks.

"You can do it, Jou-kun!" Zella called.

"Get him, slave! Smash him into the ground!" Mai said, thinking that Ryuzaki will win the duel easily. Jou looked at the cards in his hand and grinned. "This is so lucky!" he exclaimed. _'I can't believe I drew Baby Dragon and Time Wizard on my first turn!'_ he thought.

_'I already won this duel!' _Ryuzaki watched him calmly. "I'll go first. I play Baby Dragon in defense mode!" he said, placing the card onto the field. _Now go ahead, Ryuzaki! Play whatever card you like! Either way your dinos are done!'_

"Ok then. I play this!" he said, putting the card onto the field. "Two-Headed King Rex!"

Jou gulped. _'Oh no.'_ Ryuzaki smirked. "Go, King Rex! Kill that Baby Dragon in one hit!" he commanded and with a deafening roar, King Rex stomped Jou's monster flat. "No!" he cried and Ryuzaki laughed.

"Don't you know anything about this game? You can't just put out your card and expect that I would let you play a combo! Use your head a little!" Ryuzaki spoke. "Jou-kun!" Yugi, Zella and Diamond called, worried for him. _'Great...I lost my combo and already these dinosaurs look tougher than I thought.'_ Mai let out a laugh. "The match is already decided!" she said.

"It isn't over yet! I know Jou can win." Keara spoke as she watched the duel quietly by Yami and Aqua's side. "Whatever! Get him, Ryuzaki baby! He's nothing but a beginner!" Mai said, grinning like there's no tomorrow.

"Keara's right, Jou-kun! You can still win this!" Diamond called. "Yeah, Ryuzaki's theme deck sucks!" Honda added. "C'mon! Hurry up and play a card!" Ryuzaki spoke. "Alright, alright!" Jou drew his card and looked to his hand. _'There has to be something to beat this thing!'_ he thought frantically.

He looked at his Battle Steer and grinned, seeing as it had more attack than the King Rex. "I have strong monsters too! I play Battle Steer! Now go and destroy that King Rex!" Ryuzaki laughed as Jou made the attack.

"You dimwit! You forgot that my King Rex gets a field power bonus from the wasteland!" he said and Jou almost slapped himself. _'Great! Why did I forget about the power bonus already!'_ Mai laughed again at the second mistake Jou made. "Flatten him!" she said cheerfully.

"I will! King Rex! Dinosaur Foot Stomp!" he said as King Rex attack increased to 2080 and flatten Jou's Battle Steer, decreasing his life points down to 1720. "Ohh Ryuzakiii! If you beat Jounouchi, we can have a _special _duel! Just you and me!" she cheered. "Yeah, yeah." he said, waving her off.

_'I can't forget my real goal...to beat Kujaku Mai for humiliating me! I'll finish this idiot off quickly.'_ he thought. While Ryuzaki was deep in thought, so was Jou. _'Ok...my side of the field is Sogen...the grassland! That's perfect terrain for warriors and knights! And I have lots of them in my deck!'_ He grinned as he drew his card and picked up the next one he was going to play.

"Here's my next card! Axe Raider in attack mode!" He placed the card onto the field. "And because of Sogen, he gets a field power boost!" he said as Axe Raider's attack raised to 2210. _'He should keep me safe for this turn while I think of something and after his turn, I'll defeat that King Rex.'_ he thought.

Ryuzaki smirked as he drew his card. "I play a new monster. Sword Dragon!" he said, slapping the card onto the field and the monster appeared. "Go! Dino Tail Sword!" The monster roared and with a swing of its tail, Axe Raider was sliced in half before it fazed off the field.

"Great, he played a dinosaur card with an even stronger attack power!" Jou sulked as his life points decreased to 1145. Yugi watched on with worry. _'Jou-kun will lose if he keeps this up.'_ he thought. Jou looked down, a defeated look crossing his face.

_'Aww man...am I not good enough to beat him...?'_ he pondered to himself before turning to glance over to Yugi. _'Yugi...whether it's you, Yami or Aqua...I need...'_ He mentally shook his head defiantly. _'No! That would be pathetic of me! I can't ask them for help! I got to win this on my own! It's a promise to myself!'_

"My turn!" he called as he drew his card them examined his hand. _'None of these cards is good enough to beat those dinosaurs. What can I do?'_ He then looked to the Time Wizard.

_'Yugi gave me this card...it has the ability to control time..take it forwards or backwards...but I don't know any other use for it except for the combo I use to defeat Mai...could it have some other hidden power that I don't know of?'_ Jou finally came to a decision and placed the Time Wizard face down._ 'It might come in handy in some way.'_

Mai watched the move intensely. _'It's safe to say that must be Time Wizard! But knowing Jounouchi, he probably played it without knowing how to use it except for in that Baby Dragon/Thousand Dragon combo.'_ she thought then looked to Ryuzaki. "Ryuzaki! Jounouchi just played the Time Wizard!" she shouted.

"Yeah, I know! It's cool! He doesn't even know how to use it truly so I have nothing to worry about!" he said. Yugi looked to the card as well. _'The Time Wizard...I hope Jou-kun can figure out the hidden power it holds.'_

Jou drew his card before placing one onto the field. "I play the Rock Golem in defense mode!" Ryuzaki only laughed. "Defense, schme-fense! I'm just gonna kill everything you throw out! Go Megasaurus (or Megazowler)! Megasaurus Charge!" he said, placing the monster onto the field and with a roar, the dinosaur monster charged into Jou's monster, destroying it.

"Fine then! How about this card? Swamp Battleguard!" The monster appeared onto the field. "Attack!" Swamp Battleguard charged in but Ryuzaki only laughed more. "Useless! Its only more prey for my dinosaurs!" he said as Sword Dragon countered and destroyed his Swamp Battleguard. Again, his life points decreased to 665 and Ryuzaki laughed even more.

"Do you give up, yet? It will be pointless to go on!" Ryuzaki goaded. "Jou-kun!" Diamond called. Ryou shook his head with worry. "With that field power bonus on their side, those dinosaur cards are too tough for Jou-kun to fight! I just don't know what he can possibly do to beat them..." Ryou said.

Zella looked down to Yugi. "Yugi! Isn't there a way Jou-kun can beat Ryuzaki? There has to be a way!" He looked up to her and then looked down to the ground. "There is one way..." he whispered. _'There's a chance if Jou-kun uses the Time Wizard...but doing so is a big risk and we don't know if he'll realize that if he does take that chance.'_

"Then you have to tell him! He said for Yami to not help but he didn't say anything about you! If you don't, he will lose!" Zella said. "She's right." Honda spoke. "Yeah, think about Jou's sister. Just think about what happen if he loses." Diamond said. Yugi looked back into the duel box and was about to call out to him if Yami's voice didn't stop him.

/Don't say anything, Yugi. We will not interfere with this battle./ he said.

/But Yami? He said that _you_ couldn't tell him how to win the duel! Not Aqua or I! I have to help him or else he may lose!/

/But a promise to me is a promise to all three of us, Yugi. If you help him, I would be breaking my promise to him./ Yugi looked down, hating to see Yami break anyone's promise.

/Besides, if you rescue him from this predicament, that's when he will truly lose! For Jounouchi, this is a battle against himself./ Yami explained.

/Really?/ Yugi asked.

/Yes. The only thing we can do is watch him. Remember what he said earlier...if he can win, then Shizuka can win too./

Yugi nodded in agreement. /Yeah! You're right!/ Yugi exclaimed happily. /And look at his eyes! Those aren't the eyes of somebody who's given up hope./ he said and Yugi turned to Jou and saw the determination still flaring high.

Yugi smiled brightly. "Jou-kun! you can win this!" Yugi said. Jou turned to him and smiled before he drew his card. "Alright! I play this card! Flame Swordsman!" The warrior monster appeared onto the field, ready to attack. "So you pulled out a decent card for a change! No matter, he's dead anyway!"

"You wanna bet? Go, Flame Swordsman! Attack!" Flame Swordsman charged in. "Megasaurus has the same attack power! Let's just see who wins!" Ryuzaki called as Megasaurus charged in for an attack. "Megasaurus Charge! Trample the Flame Swordsman!" he declared. Flame Swordsman held up his blade in preparation to defend and it was a standoff as the two monsters collided.

Mai laughed with glee. "You have my condolences! Taking the charge of a dinosaur with thousand of pounds of force behind it. This match is over...huh!" she said in shock as she saw Megasaurus be sliced in half.

"Sweet! Flame Swordsman cuts down your dinosaur!" Jou said happily as Flame Swordsman made his attack. "How's that, Dino Breath? Say hello to the strongest monster in my deck! He's gonna whip your lizards off the board one at a time!"

"Go Jou!" Kaiser shouted.

"Yeah! You can beat him now!" Honda spoke.

Ryuzaki snarled in anger as he looked to him. _'Dinosaurs are not lizards, you idiot! How dare you mock my dinos and hurt my deck!'_ he thought. Mai only laughed mockingly. "That was a lucky shot! There's no way Jounouchi can beat my slave-warrior, Ryuzaki!" she spoke and Zella only huffed. "Whatever! Didn't you just lose to Jou a few hours ago?" she retorted.

"Hmph! As if! That was just bad luck...plus he cheated! Even a kindergartner could win once in a while with Yami telling him how to play the game!" Mai said and Yami snarled in anger. Zella and Mai glared at each other from the corner of their eyes before Zella turned back to the duel box. "You can win this, Jou! Show her what you can really do!"

He took a glance to her and nodded. "You bet!" he said before turning his gaze back to Ryuzaki. "Your move, Lizard man! Lizman? Or maybe Lizzo?" he joked and Ryuzaki sneered in disgust before looking down to the field.

_'Thanks to his Flame Swordsman, my dinos won't stand a chance against his fiery sword...but my deck's got a card that can beat it! I've got the ultimate power and he won't be acting smug for long!'_ he thought as he drew his card and it was another dinosaur monster. _'Rats...not the one I need...'_

"I play Uraby in defense mode!" he said, placing the raptor monster onto the field. "Alright! My turn! Flame Swordsman, attack! Toki Enzan Ken (Fighting Spirit Flame Slash Sword)! Kill Twin Headed King Rex!" Jou called and his monster jumped in to attack, dealing a critical blow to the dinosaur and lowering Ryuzaki's life points down to 720.

"I can do this!" he said and his friends cheered from the outside. "Go Jou! You can do it!" Yugi said happily. "Keep it up Jou and you'll win in no time!" Honda cheered. Ryuzaki groaned in anger, knowing that he's letting Jou get the upper hand.

Mai was fuming, not enjoying this either. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? If you're really my slave, fight with the pride of serving me! Kujaku Mai!" she yelled and Ryuzaki sneered.

_'What a loudmouth...once I beat this guy, you're next, Mai! I'm going to get payback for what you did on the cruise here!'_ he thought.

Jou took a glance over to Yami and Aqua who were still silent but he could see that they were proud to see he was winning even without their assistance. _'Watch me, Yami! I'll going to win on my own!'_ he thought.

_'Be careful, Jou. Who know what cards Dinosaur Ryuzaki could have.'_ Yami thought. _'Don't settle in the glory of your victory just yet. Ryuzaki may definitely pull out a strong card that could beat the Flame Swordsman soon.'_

Ryuzaki drew his next card and growled. _'This isn't it either!'_ He placed the card down onto the field. "I'll play Crawling Dragon #2 in defense mode!" he said and gave the turn to Jou. "Alright! Attack again, Flame Swordsman!" Flame Swordsman again deals a crushing blow to the dinosaur monster and his friends cheered for him more while Mai was getting more peeved.

"Ryuzaki! If you lose this duel, I won't duel with you!" she screamed and Jou grinned. "What's wrong, Dino boy? Are your cards going extinct on you?"

"Grr...shut up!" he yelled before looking down to his deck. _'This is it! I just know it! I'll draw my ultimate card now and put this idiot in his place!'_ he thought as he picked up the card and smirked.

"Meet my ultimate beast! The Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Ryuzaki said, playing the card and soon, the large, black dragon appeared on the field and roared. _'Oh no, that looks like a super strong card!'_ Jou thought.

"No way...!" Yugi spoke, surprised. _'The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a very legendary and rare card! Collectors would pay hundreds of thousands of yen for it! And its attack strength is worth the money!'_ Ryuzaki laughed as he took a glance at Jou's slightly fearful state.

"This is my rarest card. Yeah, it's not a rare as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon but I spend everything I had to get this super-powerful card! The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a "dark" monster, so I don't get a field power bonus but your card still doesn't have the fire power to take it on!" Ryuzaki stated, a grin still on his face.

"Go Red-Eyes! Black Fire Bullet!" he commanded and the dragon roared before letting out a large fireball of black and red flames engulfed Jou's Flame Swordsman, defeating it and lowering his life points down to 65. _'No, he got my Flame Swordsman!'_

Yugi and the others watched from the outside, worrying now since Ryuzaki has the Red-Eyes on the field. _'What do I do now? The Flame Swordsman was my strongest card...'_ he thought, looking down to the duel table with a heavy heart. Ryuzaki's grin broaden even more.

_'I won!'_ he thought. "Not like I'm surprised or anything. That chump couldn't stand a chance against me." he spoke quietly to himself._ 'Heh heh...not bad, slave! Not bad at all!' _Mai thought as she watched with a smirk at seeing her suspicions confirmed that Jou couldn't win a duel on his own without Yugi, Yami or Aqua's help.

Zella looked down to Yugi with worry. "Yugi, tell me...is he going to lose this duel? Is there still a way how he can win now?" she asked. Yugi didn't say a word and neither did Yami or Aqua.

_'There is a way...only one way...and that's with the card on the field! His Time Wizard! I wish I could tell him but I promise to not give advice to him. Yami and Aqua are sticking with this promise as well. I just hope he can figure this out on his own.'_ Yugi thought.

"C'mon! Draw your card! I got people to beat today!" Ryuzaki shouted and Jou picked up his next card. _'No good...I don't have a chance against that Red-Eyes..could this be my last turn and I lose everything here?'_ Ryuzaki watched him and snickered under his breath.

_'It looks like he's not going to use that Time Wizard he has on the board...many know it's a scary card but a newbie like him will never realize what it can do...or even have the guts to use it!'_

Jou closed his eyes, ready to admit defeat. _'Shizuka...'_ he thought, knowing that now, he wouldn't be able to save her.

"Go for it, slave!" Mai called and Ryuzaki glanced at her. _'Wait a sec! Come to think of it...Mai lost to this guy when he used Time Wizard! In other words...if I can get my hands on that card, defeating her would be a breeze for me!'_

He turned back to look at Jou and grinned. "Listen up, Jounouchi! There's a standard rule in trading card games: the winners gets to take one card from the loser's deck! So if I win, I'm taking that Time Wizard of yours! Got it?"

"Time what...?" he muttered as he looked back to him and then down to the board. _'Oh, this...I forgot I put it on the board earlier...'_

"Ok? I'll wager my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Of course, that's if you beat me. If you can, it yours...and this card alone is worth a few hundred thousand yen." Ryuzaki spoke and that had Jou sitting up quickly. "What?" he exclaimed. _'A few hundred thousand yen? That kind of money would last me for months!'_

"Hey! Wait a minute, Ryuzaki! I won't accept that kind of trade! This is my match!" Mai yelled. _'If Ryuzaki get that Time Wizard card, I'll be in real trouble just like before...!'_

"You're my slave! Can't you just listen to my orders?" she yelled again and Ryuzaki sneered at her.

"I'm not your "slave", stupid! Don't think I am just 'cause I kept quiet and played along!"

With them arguing, Jou thought it over and then grinned. "I'll do it!" he said.

"Townie!"

"Wench!"

"Dimwit!"

"Grr..."

_'Why are those two getting so heated up and fighting over it? Is it that good of a card? Is that why they're so desperate for my Time Wizard? It has to be good! Yugi gave it to me! But the problem is, I don't know what'll happen if I use it alone...but I have no choice now...this is my last gamble! All or nothing! If I lost this, I'll never save Shizuka!'_

"I'll play his monster on the board...and use Time Wizard!" Jou announced as he placed the monster onto the field in defense mode and then flipped over his Time Wizard.

"Huh...?" Both Mai and Ryuzaki said, dumbfounded.

/Do you think he figured it out?/ Yugi asked.

/Let's hope so./ Yami responded.

"Go Time Roulette!" he called and the Time Wizard raised its staff and the spinner started to spin. "Now, the arrow of time has begun to turn! If I win...Time Magic! If I lose...Self-Destruct! It's all on fate now!" Jou said as he watched the spinner. _'Come on! Let me have another chance!' _he pleaded mentally.

_'Please, Time Wizard! Don't fail Jou now!'_ Yugi thought, anxiety showing in his eyes. Aqua placed his hands upon Yugi's shoulders, gripping them lightly as the spinner slowed to a stop. It ticked a few time before stopping on the win space and Jou cheered.

"Yes! I win! Go Time Magic!" Time Wizard waved its staff and soon, time rushed by thousand of years and once the passage of time came to a stop, Ryuzaki looked down to the field and gaped. "No! My dinos are gone and so is my Red-Eyes!" he exclaimed as his monsters were nothing but fossils in the wasteland field.

_'Whew! And my monster barely survived...'_ Jou thought.

/This is great! Jou came through with the Time Wizard! I was starting to worry so much about him./ Yugi said cheerfully.

Yami nodded in agreement. /Ryuzaki's dinosaur cards are a force to mess with but even they couldn't survive the time magic./

"This isn't possible! Are you telling me that I lost?" he growled as his life points decreased to 0.

"Hooray!" Everyone, excluding Yami and Aqua but including Mai, shouted. Hearing her voice, Zella took a glance to her. "What was that I heard...?" she questioned suspiciously. "Oops..." Mai whispered, seeing that she was found out. Jou looked over to his friends and smiled.

_'Yugi...! It was luck but I manage to win on my own...'_ he thought and then picked up the Red-Eyes from the field, seeing as Ryuzaki was wallowing in self-pity for his loss. "And I got a super-rare card out of it too!" he said jovially as he left out the box and they walked off to leave Mai to chew out Ryuzaki for losing.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for today's chapter. Hope you all enjoyed and will be waiting eagerly for the next chapter. If you don't know about Blade, he's one of my OCs that I never really used much, since I never use Ryuzaki in my stories. I don't know if I mentioned him in my bio but he's consider one of Ryuzaki's close friends. To people, they may think of him as a brother to Ryuzaki but he isn't compared to people like Diamond and Kaiser. Now, here's another page in our short stories. Hope you enjoy.

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's Deck-

"Great job, Time Wizard! We're all glad you can through for Jou-sama!" Fier spoke as he looked to the tiny clockwork wizard. "It was nothing. Even though my spin is truly a win or lose situation, I do try my best to complete Jou-sama's wish to win a duel." he spoke.

"Well? Why are we standing here for? We should go greet the newest addition to Jou-sama deck." Fier said and he along with Time Wizard and Ohtar who they met up with on the way, headed towards the dragon's den where Laito, Meneg and the newly acquired Red Eyes Black Dragon stayed.

The black scaled dragon was outside, being acquainted with the small, slightly wounded Laito and the old but wise Meneg. /"Will you be alright in your new home, Red Eyes?"/ The elder dragon spoke. /"I'm sure I will fit in. Compared to my last master, I think Jounouchi-sama will treat me better than a card to flaunt around because its rare."/ Red Eyes said.

Fier and Ohtar finally made it to the den and the dragons turned to see them. /"Fier! Ohtar! You're here!"/ Laito said happily as he flew into the swordsman's arms and Fier chuckled.

"Yeah, we're here and we're fine." Fier said with a smile.

/"But you both took so much damage! And Ohtar, you were literally cut in half by that Sword Dragon! Are you both sure you're alright?"/ Laito questioned. "Don't worry, Laito. We're fine and we'll heal up soon so we'll be prepared for the next battle." Ohtar said.

/"Oh, ok! You wanna meet Akai now? She's a great friend already!"/ he chittered happily as he jumped from Fier's arms and dragged the two warrior monsters over to the Red Eyes. /"Akai! Here's Fier and Ohtar!"/ She looked down to the two warriors and nodded her head in greeting.

/"It's nice to meet you both. Fier, I suppose?"/ she spoke, looking to him. "Yeah, that's me." he said and she nodded again. /"I'm sorry for the massive damage you took from my attack. Hopefully you are alright."/ Akai said with remorse. "Don't worry. I'm fine. You are a very strong monster and Jou-sama is grateful to have a powerful monster as a part of his deck now." Fier said and the dragon nodded.

/"I'm happy to be accepted into the deck so easily. I though it would take me years just like it did when I was in Ryuzaki's deck. Of course, the only other dragon in there was Serpent Night Dragon so I only considered him my only friend compared to all the dinosaurs Ryuzaki themed his deck after."/ Akai said.

"Well, if you wish, you can come and meet more monsters. I'm sure Laito won't mind giving you a tour. Right?" Laito nodded enthusiastically and Akai laughed. /"I'll be happy to meet more of my new master's monsters and get more adapted to his deck. I think I'll like being here if all the monsters are as friendly as you four."/ Akai said.

"Don't worry. They are." Ohtar said before they left the dragons to head back to the warriors' dorm. "I think Akai will do well here and will help Jou-sama into many victories." Ohtar spoke. "Yeah. I'm glad we have a powerful monster in our arsenal and from what she said, I think I'm even happier that Jou-sama got her from a master that couldn't treat her well." Fier said.

"Yep, I'm sure she will feel welcomed here. Let's go ahead and train before Jou-sama gets into another duel so we will be in top shape." Fier nodded in agreement and they both headed to the training grounds to spar with one another.

* * *

Zypher: And there, another end to another story. Hoped you enjoyed. And before I go, I need another vote. In the manga, the duel in the Shadow Realm between Bakura and Yami doesn't happen because Ryou is still wary of placing the Ring (and the fact Ryou's already with the group which gives him all the more reason to not put it on and risk having Bakura try to kill them again) back on and won't do so until a later time. If you want me to place in that duel, tell me so and I will. If not, I'll continue on the path of the manga and both Bakura and Crimson will show at a later time which I won't mention where so I won't spoil anything.

Translations:

Ohtar - Elven for Warrior

Akai - Spanish (I think) for red


	8. Hunters of the Night: Eliminator Panik

Zypher: Welcome all to another glorious chapter of Yami no Game: Dark Saga. Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and I present to you this one.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 8

* * *

-12 Hours into the Dueling Tournament-

A crunch of leaves and branches under boots was heard as a figure in the shadows cracked its knuckles. _'Ra ha ha...sleep while you can duelists...because I'm coming for you.'_ The person thought as it went to go look for its next victim, star chips won from past duelists gleaming in the slots of its duel gloves.

* * *

"I'm hungry!" Jou moaned before looking to Ryou. "What time is it?" Ryou checked his watch before turning back to Jou. "It's just past eight." he spoke. Diamond looked up to the full moon quietly. "It's so dark and quiet already. It's spooky in a way." she said and Zella agreed with her.

"And I haven't seen any other duelists for a while." Honda spoke. "No one would want to duel in the dark, Honda!" Jou reprimanded. "It'll just make you hungrier." he murmured under his breath before jumping up from his place on the ground. "I want food! Not star chips! Wish they were potato chips though..."

"I wish I had a nice bath..." Zella piped up. _'I was expecting a island resort or something like that but this place is awful!'_ she thought.

Aqua snorted. "A nice human meal would make my day right about now." he said and Jou gulped. "Keep those demon instincts down. I want food but I don't want to _be_ food." Jou murmured before turning to look down to the trunk of the tree and saw some mushrooms. "A mushroom! Finally some good food!" he said, picking it and was about eat it if Honda, Yugi and Ryou didn't hold him back. "Jou! Don't eat it!" They chorused.

"They're right, what if it's poisonous?" Diamond inquired. None noticed who was there until they heard...

"Are you really gonna eat that, Jounouchi? You all must be starving!" Mai's voice chirped and they turned to see her there. "Great! Just who we need to see." Zella said sarcastically. Mai grinned and took a bite from a candy bar she had. "Hey..is that...?" Jou started, already salivating at the smell of food.

He wasn't the only one for Yugi, Honda, Ryou, Yami, Kaiser and Aqua looked up as well. Jou shook his head from the thoughts of food plaguing his mind and jumped up, still holding the mushroom and glared at her. "Hey! Why'd you come here for anyway?" he growled.

"Mmm...this walnut chocolate bar is delicious! What do you say, Jounouchi? Want to trade one of your star chips for a piece of my chocolate bar?"

He growled. "Never, you fiend! These star chips are my life!" he hissed. She only laughed, winking at him. "Just kidding...I'd never have played you in the first place if you were that lowly of a duelist." she spoke and Jou growled even more. _'Why you...making a fool out of me...!'_ he thought furiously. "You look so hungry...you better not bite me!" she taunted and Jou's look darkened even more. _'Who would? Stupid girl...!'_

"What d'you all say to a ceasefire for tonight? We're duelists and we need a break sooner or later, don't we?"

"She's right, for once. I'm pretty tired from all the duels today." Yami said and Jou sneered a little. _'"A **break**"? Yea right! This is bad news somehow! She's plotting something and that gives me more reason to not trust her!' _Was Jou's pessimistic thought.

"You guys didn't bring any food, huh? Have some of mine! If we can make a fire, we can cook!" she said, holding her bag up. "Wha! Really?" They all said in amazement. She took out everything she had and they were even more amazed at what she had.

"Wow! Cool!"

"Provisions...a tent..even a lantern! Everything you need!"

"You brought this all yourself?"

"A duelist must be prepared! You can't rely on the kindness of strangers!" Mai said. "Now men! I brought the food. The cooking is your job! Get to it!" Jou grumbled to himself but Ryou and Yugi were smiling, still happy that Mai was sharing her food with them. "I'll do the cooking! I'm pretty good at it!" Ryou said as Yugi came up beside him, holding some wood for a fire. Mai then turned to Jou and Honda. "You guys go fetch some water! Chop chop!" she spoke, handing Jou a bucket for them to collect the water.

Jou mumbled to himself still. "Grr...I hate her bossing me around!"

"Shut it, Jou! Be happy that we're getting something to eat! Suck it up!" Honda admonished. Jou still grumbled but he walked off with Honda. "This is fun! Just like camping!" Yugi said joyfully and Ryou nodded. "Yeah!"

Mai now stood beside Zella and started to speak quietly to her. "Wow...I've heard the rumors it it's true...Yugi really is a different person from how he was when it came to the duel Jou and I were in. So happy and carefree with no worries or the burdens of the real world." Mai said and Zella took a glance to her.

"Look who's talking! Why are you being so nice to us all of a sudden?" she inquired. Mai chuckled as she turned to look to her. "I'm a woman too. A duelist's make-up doesn't last for 24 hours..." she said, surprising her a little.

"Sorry...that was a lie...this kindness that crept up on me surprises me more than you...I don't know why I went over to talk to you all...it's a strange thing for me to do.." she explained. _'After all, I lived alone most of my life...'_ Mai squashed the thought before speaking up again. "And speaking of strange...you guys are kind of strange too, aren't you? Do you always stay in this little group?"

Zella looked to her quizzically. "'Strange'? What do you mean by that? It's because we're friends that we stay in this little group!" she said. "Hmph..." Mai looked down to the portable shower she had and them back to Zella. "Your name's Zella, right? When the boys come back with water, you should warm some up and take a shower! I have a portable shower and a private tent." she said and Zella hopped up in glee. "Are you serious? Thank you so much!"

Mai only smiled. "There are some things only girls prepare for!"

Once Jou and Honda came back with the water, Mai heated some up for Zella and prepared the shower for her. Zella went inside with Mai standing in front of the doorway and she got ready for her shower. _'So, this is the real Kujaku Mai...and to think, I though she was the most infuriating woman I'd met in my life...but she's actually pretty nice...'_ Her thoughts then went to Yugi, Yami and Aqua.

_'I wonder if all duelists have two sides to them? When I think about it with Yugi, he's carefree and always have a heart to help someone but when it comes to someone he knows in danger or something life-threatening to us, he wouldn't think twice about inflicting some harm to them just by calling out Yami or Aqua who are naturally nice to those that Yugi can trust unless someone threatens us or him. Then their demon sides reign control of their actions.'_ she thought before she started on her shower.

"Stay back, Jounouchi! Take one peep at this shower and you're dead meat!" Mai shouted when he saw his head turning slightly. "Get back to work in the kitchen where you belong!" she continued and Jou muttered to himself. "Suck it up...suck it up..."

After a while, Ryou and Yugi were done with the food and everyone came around the fire to eat. "Man, that smells good!" Honda said. "Yeah! Good job everyone!" Ryou said happily as they all took plates and started scooping some of the stew onto their plates.

"Whoa! This is delicious, Ryou!"

"Thank you!"

Mai looked to them. "You all get some nourishment! There's gonna be more duels in the morning!" she said and both Jou and Honda nodded.

"Yes ma'am!" They both said before Jou took a glance at Honda. "Honda, you're not a duelist!" he said and Honda rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. Just want to be with the duelist crowd." he said and they laughed. Yugi then looked over to Mai and saw that her duel glove was almost filled. "You already have eight star chips, Kujaku-san. Maybe you'll be the first one into the castle." Yugi said. "Yeah...but even if I do get into the castle...I'll settle the score with Yami sooner or later. Bet on it." she said and Yugi nodded.

"Come on...let's forget about the game for now...Right?" Diamond spoke.

"Wrong." Mai said, looking to all of them. "We may be friends right now...but we'll be enemies tomorrow! That's what it means to be a true duelist!" she continued before getting up, already finish with her dinner. "Thanks for making dinner tonight. I'm going back to my tent." She then took a glance back over to Zella, Diamond and Keara. "You three should stay in my tent as well. There's been rumors that a creepy guy is lurking through these forests. It might be dangerous." she said and Jou snarled.

"Who are you talking about?" he demanded, think she was talking about him. "Man, what is her problem?" he mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

-10:00 PM-

Mai, Zella and Diamond was in Mai's tent while the others sat outside, ready to go to sleep in the sleeping bags that Aqua conjured up for them. Jou yawned, stretching as he laid down. "All right then! A full stomach, a warm night...Time to get some shut-eye!" he said and the others agreed with the as they prepared for some sleep. Yugi pulled out the portable 8mm player from his bag and his grandfather's face came up on the screen. He chuckled softly as he looked to Yugi and he smiled. "Jii-chan, Yami collected six star chips today." Sugoroku nodded with a smile.

"He did very well! Soon he'll be able to enter the castle." he said and Yugi nodded. "Tomorrow is the last day for duels...Yami promised me that he will get to the castle and beat Pegasus! He promised to get you out of there and I know he will." Yugi said and his grandfather nodded. "I know he will too. Sleep well and tell him the same for me."

Yugi nodded again with a smile. "Ok! Good night, Jii-chan!" he said before turning off the player and placed it back into his bag. He looked up when he saw Yami standing beside him. "Everyone's asleep now. Do you want to come for a walk with me?" he asked and Yugi nodded. Yami took his hand and lifted him up before they both headed off into the forest but not too far just in case the mysterious man that was rumored to be roaming the forest comes by.

In the tent, Diamond was already asleep but Mai and Zella were still up. Zella looked over to Mai curiously. "Kujaku-san, were you always good at cards?" she asked. Mai was silent before she started to speak. "I was once a casino dealer on a cruise ship! I traveled around the world...playing cards with rich people every day.

"I've seen hundreds of boring men flashing their money just to get with me...but that was a big mistake on their part. I'd get them to put down a lot of money and then beat the easily with my "Aroma-tactics"...I started to hate people more and more afterward. I did make a lot of money...but soon I got sick of it so I quit!" she explained.

"I didn't come to this island just for money...not out of pride either...the pride of a duelist or a woman...it's more like I want to find the things I used to cherish a long time ago." Zella nodded, stunned silent at hearing this compared to what she told Jou when she dueled against him.

"Well, I hope you can find what you're looking for, Kujaku-san." Zella said before she lied down to get some sleep. Mai stayed awake a little longer but wasn't aware of the figure coming towards the tent. Once the figure came up to the flaps on the tent, he grabbed hold of them and opened then, surprising Mai.

"Another victim! I found you! It's duel time...!" he said before dragging her out of the tent, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream and alert the others.

* * *

Yami and Yugi continued to walk through the forest before they found a small clearing and sat down. Yugi looked up to the clear sky, thinking. "You know, I wonder how many people are on the island now?" Yugi said softly and Yami looked to him. "Probably not many depending on how many lost all their star chips during the day. With the lessening numbers, Jou and I will have to work quickly if we want to gain enough star chips to gain entry into the castle." Yami said before looking down to Yugi. "And like I promised you, I will save your grandfather's soul."

"I know, Yami. I believe that you will." Yugi said as he scooted closer to him and leaned up to place a soft kiss upon Yami's lips. Yami purred quietly and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close as he deepened the kiss. Yugi soon parted his lips from Yami's and looked to him, eyes glowing in the light of the full moon. "Yami, it's been a while since we've done something together. Do you think..." Yugi started to blush and Yami caught on, chuckling softly. "I know what you want but are you sure you want to do it here?"

"Yes." Yugi said very softly.

He chuckled again before kissing him, his answer relayed through the kiss as they both descended to the forest ground.

* * *

Zella woke up a few minutes later, rubbing her eyes as she looked around. "Kujaku-san?" she questioned, finding herself more awake since the older woman wasn't in the tent.

_"EEE-YAHHH!"_ A voice screamed into the night as she got up quickly and left out the tent, being quiet as to not wake Diamond who didn't hear the scream of terror. _'That was Kujaku-san. What could've happen this late at night?'_ she thought to herself as she went to look for Mai.

* * *

_"EEE-YAHHH!"_

Yami raised his head when he heard the cry and he looked around. Yugi panted beneath him but was also concerned about the familiar cry. "Who was that?" Was the breathless whisper from the smaller teen. "It sounded like Kujaku-san. She must be in trouble." Yami said as he stood and helped Yugi up before taking his hand and running towards the direction of her scream. As they ran, they tried to fix their bedraggled clothing, searching through the darkened forest for Mai.

In a hidden duel box, the man and Mai sat. In the darkness, the other hulking duelist grinned as his concealed monsters prepared to attack her Harpie Lady Sisters. "Ra ha ha! My monsters of the dark are invincible! Dark Silent Burn! Your harpies die!" he bellowed as the monster attacked.

Her harpies were destroyed and her life points decreased to 0. _'I lost! Me...!'_ she thought in disdain. _'It's the darkness that gives my cards power!'_ The duelist thought, a grin still plastered on his pale face. Mai sneered angrily, still not believing she lost the duel. _'But there no way to beat an opponent that hides in the dark and can't be seen.'_

"It's the rules! Give me all your star chips! And get off the island!" he said and Mai closed her eyes, still not accepting the defeat. _'No...I can't!'_ Soon, Yugi and Yami arrived along with Zella. "Kujaku-san!" Yugi cried and she turned to look up to see them arriving. "Yugi! Yami! Zella!" she called, momentarily forgetting about the other duelist.

They stopped and looked to the other duelist. _'Who is that guy?'_ Yugi wondered to himself. The duelist grinned as he stood. "Well well! This saves me the trouble...! Beating you was Pegasus-sama's top-priority order...you unlucky, little brat." he said as he started his way out the duel box.

Mai knew what was about to happen and look to Yami. "Watch out! He's a player killer that roams the island, defeating duelists and taking all their star chips!" she told them and Yugi gasped. _'A player killer!'_ He then looked to Yami who was now snarling in anger.

The player killer continued to grin as he placed the star chips gain from Mai into the many slots on his dueling gloves, looking down at Yami. "I've just eliminated your little friend...and now, you're next! Let's duel!" he said and Yami growled, fangs showing through upturned lips and claws digging into his palms.

_'How dare you!'_ he hissed through his mind. Mai looked to them sadly. "You guys...this is as far as I go...I guess I won't get to fight you again after all..." she whispered. Yami snarled even more as the player killed laughed. "Now, Yami! Get in the battle box!" he commanded, towering over the demon like a monster and Yami was all the more tempted to shift into his demon form and take the other duelist down but refrained since Mai was there and she didn't know anything about his nor Aqua's demon forms.

"Fine then. I'll take you on!" he hissed before looking over to Mai. "Don't worry, Kujaku-san! I'll beat this towering buffoon and reclaim your star chips!" She looked to him before nodding and standing up, leaving the box to stand next to Yugi as Yami and the player killer entered the duel box.

"You should've listen to what your friend said. I2 sent me. But I'm not just any ordinary player killer, you can call me the player killer of darkness! You know how this tournament works, right? Whoever collects ten star chips can enter Pegasus' Castle and have the opportunity to duel against Pegasus. But there can only be four finalists!" The player killer spoke.

_'Four...?'_ Yami thought before he realized something. _'Wait! There's 40 duelists that came to the island and each had two star chips to enter so there would be 80 star chips all together. If only four duelists can advance to the castle that would be 40 star chips...is the player killers' mission to steal the other 40 star chips?'_ Yami thought before growling again.

"I've taken the lives, I mean, the star chips of eight duelists tonight alone! But Pegasus-sama's most important command is to take care of you! I'm shocked there's a reward on the head of such a little kid! But I'm going to claim it either way!"

_'And the moment I lose is when Pegasus will claim Kaiba corporation. That was the only reason this tournament exists!'_ he thought. "If I beat you, this tournament may just end right now...just between me and you, Pegasus is a pretty stingy guy...he can easily afford to pay the tournament prize money, but if his plan works, he won't have to!" he said and laughed.

"What? So you're saying we're nothing but his guinea pigs?" Mai exclaimed, more in anger than shock. The other didn't bother to answer to her proclamation. "Just so you know...after I beat you, the plan is for us to crush every last gamer and win this tournament! I2 will brook no competition! No other masters like you will arise!" The player killer, also known as Panik spoke.

"You're dreaming if you think you can beat me...sorry to burst your overinflated head but...I won't lose!" Yami said. _'I'll beat Pegasus with my bare hands...and my cards. If Yugi wishes it, I will kill him as well!'_ he thought.

Panik smirked. _'Fool...you can't defeat me! No one defeats my darkness deck!'_ he thought. He laughed quietly to himself as they both sat down. "Night falls quickly on the island, doesn't it? But there's no sleep for duelists...while they lie in their beds, with their guards down, my darkness creeps in and destroys them! Just like your lady friend!" Panik said with another laugh.

Yami snarled in anger. _'How dare he mock the darkness. I will kill him.'_ he thought. Mai only watched on sadly._ 'I lost to the player killer...now I'm disqualified...I have to leave the island...my dream of fighting you is over...no matter if you say you will reclaim my star chips...'_ she thought.

Yami took a glance to her. "Mai! Stop worrying about the fate you were going to take for loosing your star chips to this idiot! I will get them back and you'll succeed with your dream of fighting against me!" he said and Mai looked up to him and saw the determination in his eyes along with those words and nodded. He turned back to Panik with a snort. "Listen up. I know the darkness...the darkness is like my home and hearing you use the cover of the shadows makes me sick! You're no duelist as far as I'm concerned!" Yami hissed.

"Why you little brat!" Panik growled.

"You're nothing but a thief...I'll teach you that a thief can't take the life of a real duelist!" he said. "Instead, I will teach you what the darkness truly steals when they are treated the wrong way." he whispered in a deathly tone. "For this duel, I will bet all six of my star chips while you bet the eight your took from Kujaku-san! And to make up the difference...I'll stake my life as well!"

"Yami! Please don't stake your life again!" Yugi cried. He knew Yami staked his life on various occasions and would always win in the end but he just worried as each game is played that Yami may just lose. Yami turned to him and smiled softly. "Don't worry, little one. I will win. I can feel your worry with me placing my life on the line but I haven't lost yet and I'm surely won't lose to him!" he spoke. Yugi clasped his hands together and nodded. While he was distracted, Panik grinned.

"You offer sounds like a good one, but excuse me if I don't believe you...talk is cheap in most cases...so in lieu of a guarantee..." he started with a snicker before holding out his left arm and a wire with a loop at the end shot out from his gauntlet and landed over Yami's head before tightening. "I'll do this. Some duelists flee from us out of fear...we use this wire so they won't get away. Each of your guys are just prey let loose on the island for us to hunt down. If I win, I'll choke you to death...maybe twice to get my two star chips' worth!"

Yami hissed before letting out a roar in anger. "Did he just roar? Almost like some sort of animal?" Mai questioned. "Uh...it's nothing. Must be a trick this guy placed up just to scare the duelists he goes against but this wire thing is a low trick! Yami would never run away from a battle he stakes his life in!" Yugi said, glad to dodge that bullet and save himself from explaining who Yami truly was.

"Alright then," Yami hissed, holding onto the wire. "If I lose, you can have my head but if I win, I'll take yours along with Kujaku-san's star chips!" He licked his lips, hunger gleaming faintly in cerise eyes. "I'm looking forward to it actually."

They placed their star chips down before starting to duel. They drew their five cards and Panik took the first turn. Mai watched quietly, not worried about herself but for Yami and his pride as a duelist. "Well well, you're pretty popular, aren't you? You got your little crowd cheering for you? But I've got a friend too...the darkness itself! My first card is Castle of Dark Illusions!" Panik spoke, placing the card onto the field and soon, a castle of shadows started to rise over Panik's half of the field, looking dark and ominous. "And it's called the Castle of Dark Illusions for a reason." he said as the darkness started to cover his side of the field until he was barely visible.

_'Darkness...the primal darkness that existed before the world! And my castle has the power to bring it back!'_ Panik thought. Yami growled._ 'I can barely see him. Even with my demon eyes, I can't penetrate this darkness!'_ he thought. "Watch yourself, Yami! This is the same darkness that defeated my harpies!" Mai called. "Nee hee hee...too bad for you...your monsters don't get a field power bonus at night! But my dark cards get _infinite_ strength! Now play a card! Any card! The darkness will bury you in your grave!"

Yami snorted. "The darkness will choose its own master." Yami whispered as he drew his card. _'Even though I am a being of the dark, I still can't see him and possibly not his monsters either. Best be cautious and see exactly how bad this situation is.'_ he thought as he placed Celtic Guardian down in defense mode.

"And I'll play this card..." Panik said, placing a monster down and Yami's eyes narrowed when he couldn't decipher what monster it was. "I attack! Dark Absolute!" The mysterious monster hissed as it charged forward, grabbing hold of Celtic Guardian and dragged him back into the darkness.

Celtic Guardian gave a cry of pain before he was destroyed and Yami snarled in anger. "No fair! His mode of attack is a dirty trick!" Yugi seethed. _'And from the looks of it, Yami can't even see through the darkness the castle made to see that player killer's cards.'_ he thought. Panik laughed with mirth.

"Now do you see? There's nothing you can do! Your head and life is as good as mine!" Yami growled lowly. _'With that castle on the field, it will be harder to spot his monsters! With that kind of defense, none of my cards can defeat it.'_ he thought. "Come on, Yami! Play a card!" Panik spoke impatiently.

"I play Winged Dragon in defense mode!" he said, placing the monster onto the field. Panik chuckled as he watched him, drawing his card. "On my turn, I won't attack you...instead, I'll add another monster to my growing army of darkness!" he said as he played another unfamiliar monster onto the field.

_'Another one and I still can't see a thing. Only glowing eyes...'_ Panik smirked from within the darkness. _'Blind and helpless! That's all you are and my monsters are waiting like predators of the night, ready to sink their fangs into your monsters!'_ he thought.

_'Time to shed some light onto this situation!'_ Yami thought as he flipped Winged Dragon into attack mode. "Alright, Winged Dragon, attack with Fireball Barrage!" Yami called and his monster let out a roar before flying up into the air and raining a barrage of fireballs down at the field illuminating the darkness and giving Yami a brief glimpse of the two monsters Panik had but they were soon shrouded with their shield of darkness once more and Panik gave a mocking laugh.

"Too bad for you! You can light up my field but you can't attack at the same time!" he said, still laughing. _'He's right about that. I can't aim for what I can't see. I can shine some light for a moment but soon, the darkness will come back to shield his monsters once the lights are out.'_

"Now, time for your monster to die! Dark Absolute!" His monster charged forward again, grabbing hold of Winged Dragon before crushing it in the shadows, causing Yami's life points to decrease to 1600. "You're as good as dead, Yami! The dark is my home! As long as it's dark, I'm invincible!" Panik spoke but then heard him laugh.

_'What's he laughing about?'_ he wondered. "_'The dark is my home!'_ What a load of bull! I know true darkness and it isn't what you hide yourself behind. You may be happy now since you think you have defeated me with your shrewd tricks but you can't hide in the dark forever, or at least you don't want to stay there for long." he explained and Panik sneered.

"How dare you make such an accusation!"

"Because I'm right. Even though it covers your evil face...I'll have to see it again when I shut down your little game. I've found a way to beat your darkness!" he said, raising up a card. "And this card is my key to victory! Your life ends in five turns!" Panik gaped at the proclamation and Yami smirked. "Don't look stupid and get ready! I'll show you the true darkness that you'll wish you never met! As soon as your last life point trickles away like the last drop of life giving fluid as a demon drains his captured prey before devouring its meal..."

_'What is he talking about...? The true darkness?'_ Panik squashed the thought and cackled. "Don't make me laugh! Consider your situation before opening your big mouth! As long as my Castle of Dark Illusions is on the field, my monsters can hide in the dark! You can't attack them! As long as it's dark, I can't lose this match!"

"Heh...no true duelist gives up a fight when someone else tells them they'll lose...you have a shred of pride, I'll give you that much so how about this? I'll show you the card that will defeat you!" He turned the card, revealing to Panik his Swords of Revealing Light card.

_'No, not Swords of Revealing Light!'_ he thought with terror. "Yes, Swords of Revealing Light. These holy swords have the power to block the enemy's attack for three turns! Even if they try to hide away, these swords will find them. Trapped in the light...your monsters will be destroyed by this one little card."

"Huh..." Panik shook his head defiantly. _'There's no way! The darkness can't be conquered!'_

"You'll see what I mean in five turns!" Yami grinned, revealing his fangs but Panik didn't take note of it. "Now, it was my turn, wasn't it? I'll play Curse of Dragon in defense mode. Then I'll play this card down on the board. That will be the end of my turn." he said and sat back.

"I'm done for now and that leaves you four turns to live." he said. Panik's eyes narrowed as he stared at his face down. _'It has to be that spell card! It can't be anything else!'_ he thought, sweat dripping down his face. "You can do it, Yami! It already looks like you have him on the run now!" Yugi cheered.

"Showing you opponent your cards...it's not against the rules but why did he do it? Does he plan to use another weapon other than his cards?" Yugi looked up to her when he heard her starting to speak.

"Another weapon other than his cards? What are you talking about, Kujaku-san?" he asked.

"I'm trying to think what Yami is planning. As long as that player killer hides in the darkness, Yami can't see his cards. But there's one thing that can get through the darkness and that's his words!" she explained.

_'Oh! I get it! Since Yami, even with his good sight in the darkness, can't see his monsters, he uses his voice to throw the player killer off his game! And its working in his favor. His voice, no matter what the situation is can sway anyone.'_ He blushed at the thought before he continued to watch the duel.

"It's my turn!" Panik said as he drew his card. He smirked as he saw the card he drew. "You fool! I've never seen a duelist dumb enough to tell me his strategy and show his cards! I'm gonna make you regret ever doing that! Your so called victory is going to the grave! Come forth, Reaper of the Cards! I'm going to take your spell card and destroy it!" Panik said.

The monster appeared with a decrepit groan before zooming towards Yami's face down card. "Yes! Go, my Reaper! Destroy that Swords of Revealing Light! Card Eraser!" he commanded.

"Oh no!" Both Zella and Yugi cried. Yami only laughed again. _'That laugh...! He has something up his sleeve!'_ he thought. "I said the swords were my key to winning...who ever said I was putting it onto the field on that same turn?" he said as the reaper halted in its attack. "What! Wh-Why isn't my reaper doing anything?" Panik demanded.

"Because, my face down card was Spellbinding Circle!" he said as the hexagram curse appeared around Panik's monster, trapping it in place. "You think I didn't know. When you play a spell or trap card, the Reaper of the Cards is a monster you should watch out for. And to think, you would have it in your deck...but now that its trapped and can't move, I can play the cards I want!" Yami explained.

Panik growled. "Y-You! You tricked me!" he hissed. "I'm sorry. Your turn ended up being a waste for you! Now it's my turn!" he said as he drew his card. "Now, let's play the actual card onto the board this time!" he said with a smirk, putting the spell card onto the field. Panik growled, just ready to choke the other but held back the urge. "And before I'm done with my turn, I'll play another card face down." he spoke before looking up to him, eyes darkened to an eerie red. "Can you see it, Panik...can you see the rope around your neck yet?" he whispered.

"You fool...! It's you that's about to be hanged! There's no rope around my neck!"

"Are you sure about that?" Yami chuckled. "Don't you realize you're climbing up the steps to the gallows? One step at a time...in the darkness! One step for each turn that goes by. You have three turns left before your death!" After he was done speaking, a vision came to Panik's mind as he looked Yami dead in his eyes. He watched as a man climbed up another stair, a rope around his neck, his doom not far off. _'That vision, it's so lifelike! Like I'm really there!'_

"Darkness is a mirror that throws your own fears back at you. Fear that swallows those with weak hearts like the predator swallowing its prey in one easy gulp. Prey like you. I'm the predator now and your death will be a sweet meal to me." Panik snarled in anger as he jerked the wire slightly. "Listen here! One more word from your mouth and I'll tear your head off!" he shouted towards the demon duelist. Yami smirked, sitting back again. "Fine. Take your turn." he said smugly and Panik sneered. _'I will kill him!'_

Yugi smiled softly. _'I can see now. His words are as true as the night itself. This player killer was the predator, hunting duelists down like prey but now he ended up capturing a true hunter that now turned him into the prey. And I can feel Yami's hunger. The player killer will die tonight.'_ he thought.

_'My koi's words alone is sending fear down his spine and the worse of it, for him, is that he doesn't know that Yami is a true demon and has never failed a hunt yet.'_

Mai smiled to herself. _'So, even in his own territory, the player killer of darkness is getting scared! Yami's words is putting him on the defensive.'_ She then looked to Yami. _'But really, I can't blame him. With half the things Yami spoke of it...his tone when he spoke those words...it sounded like he is truly planning to kill this guy.'_ she thought.

"Come on, blockhead! Draw your card unless you want to end the duel now." Yami spoke. Panik snorted before drawing a card and cackled again. "Yes! The ultimate card! Come! Great Dark Ruler!" he said, placing the card onto the field.

_'The King of Yamimakai-Lord of the Dark World. I can't see him but I know of his attack and with the field power bonus, it will be pretty high.'_ Yami thought. Panik laughed with glee. "That's the card that's going to kill you! Too bad for you! It'll all be over before you can play your trump card!" he spoke. Yami didn't make any expression to show how he was feeling. "King of Yamimakai! Obliterate Yami's dragon! Evil Shockwave!" he commanded and his monster lifted up its claws before a wave of darkness went to attack Curse of Dragon.

Of course, what Panik didn't realize is that the dragon hid behind his Reaper of the Cards and the attack was aiming for him instead. "Die!"

Yami tsked. "It's fine and dandy that you attacked, but...you should have paid a little attention to the position of my monster on the board." he spoke and Panik looked down to the board to see just what he meant. _'No! He thought ahead and lured me into attacking my own monster!'_ As the attack connected, his life points decreased down to 1200. "And that leaves my monster unharmed as you took the damage." Yami spoke as he drew his card.

"Now it's my turn and since you want to see my trump card so much...I'll let you." he continued as he flipped over his spell card. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Swords of pure light started to appear on Panik side of the field and as his name suggests, he started to panic. "No! The light is blinding me!" he hissed as the swords fell into place, clearing his side of the field of the darkness and revealing his monsters.

Yami chuckled darkly. "Now the darkness is gone and you have no place to hide...you have two turns left to live."

_'He destroyed my darkness...I can't believe he destroyed it!'_

"For three turns, your monsters can't make a single move, and that includes attacking. So my dear prey, what are you gonna do?" he questioned mockingly. He growled. _'This isn't good...he will attack my monsters while they're helpless on his next turn! But then again, all he has is that puny dragon while I have three monsters that are undefeatable even when trapped in these swords! If he attacks, he would be destroying himself.'_ Panik grinned, snickering to himself under his breath. _'Telling me I have two turns left! What a load of nothing! I'll defeat him soon enough!'_

"Come on! It's your turn! Draw a card and finish up your turn." Yami hissed. Panik sneered as he drew his card and grinned. "The cards smile upon me tonight! You won't be able to touch me or my monsters for two turns! I activate Yellow Luster Shield!" he called. "While I'm at it, I'll play it on my Castle of Dark Illusions and everything beneath it, boosting my monsters' defenses!" he finished as the yellow barrier of energy appeared around his castle before descending to the ground, surrounding his other three monsters.

_'Great, he casts that spell on the entire group instead of choosing a single monster, casting the effect on all his cards and creating a powerful shield to save himself.'_ Yami grinned darkly, not having it been seen by Panik. _'He should know he just sealed his death wish with that move.'_

Panik laughed with glee as he stared down Yami. "As long as I have this shield on the field, your monster can barely scratch mine! Now do you still think you can defeat me in two turns?" he questioned. Yami didn't say a word but Yugi and Mai were thinking of the question. "He's right. What can he do...?" Mai spoke. "He'll figure out something. I know that he has something planned." Yugi said.

_'Hopefully you're right, kid. From where I'm watching, with the darkness gone, the player killer played something else to protect himself...he's basically a defensive player while Yami is an offensive player. But with defenses like these, how will you break them?'_ she wondered as she continued to watch the duel. "It's your move!" Panik yelled and Yami smirked.

"Don't you know you just exposed your weakness?" he questioned and Panik gasped. "No, that isn't possible!" he shouted. "Oh, but it is. I've been analyzing your strategy since the duel started. You're nothing but a coward who can't do a thing by himself and relies on the darkness and shields to protect himself. You are nothing but a low down, good for nothing defensive duelist who makes sure he's safe before attacking in the dark!"

Panik snarled in anger. "I dare you to say that again! You dare call me a coward?"

Yami smirked. "Yes I did! You cower in the safety of darkness and when that option is gone, you resort to shields. You may be big, but you don't have the balls to fight without anything shielding you. Frankly, I'm not surprised you beat all those duelists who you ambushed in their beds and forced them to battle you! So let me tell you this...I calculated you would use a shield!" he spoke and Panik gaped. "You will die in two turns! You can't escape the fate placed onto you by the darkness itself!"

"It won't happen!" Panik countered, his mind trying to agree with his words but even his mind doesn't seem to be complying with him. "My turn!" Yami drew his card and placed it into his hand before taking another. "I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight!" The monster appeared on the field and Gaia's horse whinnied, ready to charge in for an attack. "And then I'll activate this face down card! Namely...Polymerization! Gaia and Curse of Dragon combine to create Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

_'Not Gaia the Dragon Champion!'_ Panik thought, eyes widening. "My turn is over...on my next turn, Gaia will defeat you." Yami spoke and Panik growled. _'He's lying! He has to be! There's no way how he can beat me next turn! He just blowing smoke!'_ he thought as he drew his card, looking back to Yami once more.

He saw the smile on his face and started to feel threatened. _'Why is he smiling! There's no way his monster came defeat any of mine with their high defense! but just to be safe, I best strengthen my defenses more!'_ He took a card from his hand and placed it on the field. "I play Metal Guardian in defense mode outside my shield!"

"Pathetic." he whispered.

"You fool! After I live through your next turn, all my monsters will attack you with everything and destroy you and then Pegasus-sama will have your head mounted on his wall!"

Yami tsked lightly to himself. "It's too late for you. You already fallen far in my trap!" Panik gaped, eyes flaring with anger, anticipation and fear. "I should tell you, security can be a trap. You haven't realized that, did you? The more you keep trying to protect yourself, the more you keep digging yourself deeper and away from the freedom of danger. Now, it's my turn...the final turn of this duel!" he said as he drew his card. "And I'll play Catapult Turtle!" he said, placing the giant mechanized turtle onto the field.

"Now, for the second part of my plan, Gaia readies himself on the catapult and fire him at my target like a bullet!" he said. "The increase in speed will also raise Gaia's attack. This will be a mighty blow on you and your life points!" Panik growled. "It's no use! You can't break through my Yellow Luster Shield!" Panik spoke. "Who ever said I was aiming for your monsters...I'm aiming for the castle itself!" Panik's eyes widened in shock, not believing him. _'That's impossible! The shield around my castle raises its defense to 3100! Nothing can break through that!'_ he thought

"Ready? Go Catapult Turtle! Launch Gaia towards the castle!" The monster replied, angling Gaia towards the castle before shooting the monster towards the castle. The attack hit and the ring around the castle crumbled and broke off. "Direct hit! Gaia gave his life to finish off my plan!" Yami said, his life points decreasing to 300 from subtracting half of the monster's attack from his life points and Panik laughed. "You idiot! All you did was crumbled the castle's "flotation ring"! My castle is unharmed! You couldn't beat me on this turn and I will kill you on mine!"

"There won't be a next time for you."

"What? What are you saying? On my turn, the Swords of Revealing Light will disappear, leaving me free to attack!" Yami only smirked, sitting back in his seat. "You still don't get it, do you?" Panik's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to get at?" Yami closed his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Did you realize it yet...? How can your castle still be floating if I just destroyed its flotation ring, hmm? Tell me that." Yami inquired and Panik looked up to his castle, seeing that it was indeed still floating. _'But...that means...the swords are holding the castle in place as well! And with its flotation ring gone...!'_ he thought in shocked realization.

Yami chuckled. "There was a reason why I played Swords of Revealing Light. And it wasn't to see your ugly face!" he said._ 'No! Nonononono! The moment the swords vanish...my monsters are **dead**!'_

"I end my turn." Yami whispered and the swords started to fade away, now leaving the castle to plummet towards the ground, and the awaiting monsters. "Run monsters! Run!" Panik called. "It's no use. You trapped them inside the shield. They can't get away because of your over-protection. You lose, Panik!" Yami said as the castle fell upon his monsters, causing him to lose the last of his life points.

Yami stood, ripping the wire from his neck without leaving a mark and glared down at him, cerise eyes gleaming a deadly blood red as he looked into the fear laden eyes of the player killer. "I hope you're ready..." he said before raising a hand towards him. "Penalty Game! Show him the true darkness!" he spoke and soon, Panik saw the vision again only this time, it was him standing at the top of the stairs to the gallows.

He walked forward upon the trap door and not a second later, the trap door fell from beneath him, causing him to plummet into the never-ending darkness, the rope being the only thing he could feel before it pulled taut, ending his life. Yami stood, gathering his cards and star chips, grabbing Mai's as well. "They said pride goes before the fall. Now learn that no one will dare mock the true darkness when a demon that thrives in the very heart of it is around to hear." he hissed to the prone form before leaving out the duel box.

He walked over to where Yugi, Zella and Mai stood and Mai smiled. "That was amazing, Yami. I started to really think you wouldn't be able to beat him." she said. He didn't say a word and held out his hand, her star chips resting in his palm. "Kujaku-san, these belong to you." he said. She was silent for a while and Yugi looked to her.

"Go ahead, Kujaku-san. Yami worked hard to get them back for you." Yugi said. She sighed lightly. "I can't accept them. You fought for them, Yami. They're yours now. You see..." she said before closing her eyes to will away the tears that threaten to gather in her eyes.

"I lost a battle as a duelist. I'm out of the game. Now that I'm out of star chips, it's time for me to move on." Yugi looked to her worriedly. "But Kujaku-san!" he called and she shook her head as she turned from them, walking off. She took a quick glance back to them and smiled. "I'm glad I was able to come here to meet you guys, though. That made my day." She turned back around and continued to walk off. "See ya another time." she said and then stopped when she heard someone calling her name.

She turned back to see Jou, Honda, and Ryou walking up to Yugi, Zella and Yami. "Man, I want to go back to bed." Honda groaned. Yugi turned to them and smiled. "Oh guys! You're awake!" he said. "Why?"

"Who could sleep with Mai's loudmouth running?" Jou said, rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes. She looked to him before laughing softly to herself. "What's wrong with you guys? You do just about everything together, whether with the whole group or with a select few of you. Even to say goodbye..." she said. Honda looked over to Ryou quietly. "Ryou, what time is it now?" he asked. Ryou took a glance at his watch. "A little before 11..." he replied. "Then we've got one more hour." Honda nodded and then looked to Mai.

"You're our friend. Right, Kujaku-san?"

"What...?"

"When we were eating dinner, didn't you say, "We'll be enemies tomorrow!" But it's not tomorrow just yet so we're still friends! Right?" She was surprised at hearing him still consider her a friend to them. "Kujaku-san," Yami spoke up. "You, I and Jou came to this island to fight fair and square. But there are people out there like Panik who were hired for their skills to take out real duelists." Mai stayed silent and Yami held her star chips out to her again. "Here. Take them, Kujaku-san, and let's decide which true duelist is the strongest!" he said.

"Yami's right. You said it yourself...it was your dream to fight Yami..." Zella spoke. "Yes, but..." she started and Jou groaned. "Man! Come on, now! Nothing getting solved if you keep moping around, Mai! So if I may...I'd like to propose _my _solution!" he said. "And what solution would that be?" Honda asked. Jou grinned as he walked over to Yami and took the star chips from his hand. "If you don't want them, I'll take 'em! That solves everything! If she wants to get booted off the island then I'll safe-keep 'em!" He laughed. "Now I have my ten star chips to get into the castle!"

Mai fumed and glared at him. "Wait just a minute, you little fool! Don't you dare think about taking my star chips! I'll never forgive you for this!" she shouted. "Give 'em back you sonuva-" she started and Jou placed them into her hands. "Take 'em." he said and she looked down to her hand and then back to him. He smiled lightly.

"If your pride won't let you battle with those star chips then throw them in the ocean and leave the island. It's all up to you! But if I were you, I wouldn't throw them away...not the stars...and not your dream." he explained before walking off, yawning. "I'm beat so I'm heading back to bed!"

She watched him go before looking back to the star chips in her hand. _'Jounouchi-kun...'_ she thought before looking to Yami. "Yami...I'll borrow these star chips. While I'm in debt to you, I don't have the right to battle you...not just yet. But when I earn that time, we'll fight fair and square!" she said and he nodded.

"I'll be waiting for that time them, Kujaku-san." She smiled before she left along with the rest of the group, leaving him and Yugi behind. Yugi looked up to Yami who now reverted to his demon side. "Ready to eat?" he asked and he nodded as he slunk back towards the duel box and dragged out Panik's dead form.

He tore away clothing before starting on his feast, tearing away flesh in big chunks and chewed, savoring the flavor. The ground started to become bloody with the seeping blood of Yami's prey. Yugi watched quietly before walking over and knelt down beside him, removing his jacket in the process. Yami stopped with his meal and looked to him.

"Is there something you need, Yugi?" he asked. "Can I...can I help you? Well, more like feed you?" Yami looked to him quizzically. "Are you sure that you won't be disgusted at all with handling meaty flesh dripping with blood, muscle and tendon? To handle bloody organs as you cut them from a dead body?" He raised a hand and a wisp of shadows surrounded his hand before he held an intricate black dagger with hieroglyphics along the side of the black blade.

"If you do, my koi, then take this." Yugi looked down to the dagger and then to the half eaten body of Panik. "I can handle it." he said as he took the dagger and Yami smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. To tell you the truth, I always wanted to be hand fed by you when I eat meals such as this." he said with a chuckle.

Yugi pouted as he moved over to the body and started to slowly slice off a piece of flesh. "Then why didn't you say so? I would've been willing to do anything for my koi." Yugi said as he took the piece of flesh and tossed it over to Yami who caught it in his mouth before swallowing.

"Well, how should I know? Mind you, you may be alright with us feeding but we never knew you would be willing to get your hands dirty with the blood of another to hand-feed us." Yami said, licking the blood off his lips. "I'll do anything for you two." Yugi said as he sliced off another piece and tossed it to Yami. "You should know that. I'll pay you two back for everything you did for me with everything I can give you." he finished, digging the dagger into the chest cavity and pulled away flesh, muscle and bone to reach the heart and pulled it out.

"You given us everything we could ever wish for, little koibito. Freedom, a true body, a very adorable lover and memories that we can cherish since we have lost ours except from what we told you. I know there's more but neither me or Aqua can figure out why we forgotten them." Yami sighed, lowering his head.

"I hope in some way, we can find a way to learn about them and what exactly caused us to become demons and be trapped in the puzzle." he whispered. Yugi crawled over to him and placed the dagger beside him before placing a hand under Yami's chin and raised his head.

"Yami, you made a promise to me and you said you would save Jii-chan for me. Now I will make a promise to you, I will help you and Aqua find those memories. No matter the risks to do so." he said. Yami smiled and lifted his head away from Yugi's hand and leaned down to nuzzle him. "Thank you, Yugi. I'll keep you to that promise. But for now, we will both cherish the memories we have now. The ones we share with you." he said and Yugi smiled, holding up the heart and Yami ate it from his hand, bit by bit and licked his hand clean.

Yugi continued to hand-feed Yami until the body was polished off the best Yugi can get it, some pieces of flesh still hanging off the body but they didn't care. Yami disposed of the body before they headed to the lake area to wash of the blood and headed back to where everyone was asleep. They curled up with one another before falling asleep, both unaware of the new arrival to Duelist Kingdom.

* * *

Zypher: And that's the end of this chapter! Hoped you all liked it and the added fluff and I'll get to the next as soon as possible. But for now, here's another page of the big book of Duel Monsters stories. Enter very concerned Mahaado. -grins-

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck-

After the duel, Mahaado was rushing past monster after monster, trying to find Celtic. _'Please don't let him be too injured. **Please** don't let him be too injured.'_ He yelped as he was pulled back and he looked up into the blank eyes of the Archfiend of Gilfer. "What's the rush for there, Mahaado?" he questioned.

"I need to find Celtic! I made a portal to watch the battle and once he was grabbed by that monster, I started to worry and when he cried out in pain, I practically spend the rest of the duel pacing until Master Yami defeated and dealt with that player killer!" he said in a quick, worried tone.

Gilfer laughed lightly before grabbing the magician and took to the air. "I'll take you to him. Zerio found him once he and Gaia went to the graveyard and took him over to the nearest house dorm which was the fiends' dorm." Gilfer spoke and Mahaado sighed in relief. They flew for quite a while before reaching the fiends' dorm and landed. Gilfer placed Mahaado down on the ground before they headed inside.

Some fiends and zombies that knew little of healing magic was in a room, other fiends, zombies and some monsters crowded around the door. "He still calling for Mahaado, isn't he?" Sereg, the Vampire Lord asked. /"Yeah. Hopefully Gilfer found him."/ Silver spoke, tail wagging lightly as yellow eyes looked to the closed door. "Don't worry, I found him. Was amused at seeing him running around in a practical circle trying to find Celtic but I found him." Gilfer replied as the crowd parted and Gilfer opened the door, letting Mahaado walk, or in this case run, in to see Celtic.

The elven warrior groaned in pain, arms wrapped around his chest and his body shivering. "That darkness...it was too cold...colder than the Shadow Realm...help me, Mahaado-kun...help me..." he moaned and Mahaado was immediately at his side. Vampire Lady bowed to him before moving out of the way, letting him take her place and he sat down. Rauko, the Summoned Skull, looked down to Mahaado and he looked up to him.

"How has he been?"

"He's been in a little shock, let me rephrase that, a lot of shock ever since Zerio brought him in. Since we couldn't find you in the spellcasters' dorm, we did as much as we could. Or so I've heard. His heart stopped a few times caused by the terror he felt being pulled in by that unfamiliar monster so they called me in to shock him a little before it could get worse." Rauko said and he nodded.

He turned his blue gaze back to Celtic and rubbed his hand lightly. I'm here now, Celtic. Please, don't leave me." he whispered. Celtic's eyes were glazed over but he turned to look up to him. "Mahaado-kun...are you there...?"

"Yes, I'm here now. The duel's over. Master Yami won and you're safe now." he spoke. Celtic breathed a sigh of relief, gripping Mahaado's hand as he laid his head back down onto the sweat soaked pillow. Mahaado has his staff materialize in his unoccupied hand and waved it over the elf, healing the wounds he gotten along with the memory of him being caught by Panik's unknown monster.

Celtic sighed with more relief as he felt the memory be pulled away. "Arigatou, Mahaado-kun." he whispered before he fell into a peaceful doze. Mahaado smiled before looking up to the others in the room. "If it's alright with you all, I'll stay in here with Celtic and makes sure he's alright before taking him back to the warriors' dorm." Rauko nodded.

"It's perfectly alright. We know that he needs you more right now and he's healed so once he is rested and regains full strength, you both can leave out." Mahaado nodded and thanked the skull demon before he, Vampire Lady and Infernalqueen Archfiend left the room.

When they were gone, Mahaado turned back to Celtic and sighed. _'I'm glad you're alright now. I almost thought I lost you. I don't want to lose you so early in our new relationship.'_ he thought as he stroke the back of Celtic's hand. _'I will always be here for you, Celtic. Remember that.'_ he thought before the magician started to fall asleep in the chair, his hand still holding the other.

* * *

Zypher: There, another little moment between Mahaado and Celtic along with a little ooc moment. Can you just imagine Mahaado running around in blind panic looking for someone? I can and its funny to think about it. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed the chapter and another story from the big book of Duel Monsters stories and I'll see you all later.


	9. Arrivals and Secrets Revealed

Zypher: Welcome all! Bet you all were on the edge of your seats for this chapter so no need to wait any longer! Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter!

Note to SeithrKairy: If you want to see the duel between Yami and Bakura, I'll probably add it in as a bonus chapter later on in the story. I didn't add it before I posted up the duel between Panik and Yami because two said they rather see Bakura, and Crimson, show up at a later point.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 9

* * *

At Pegasus' Castle, Croquet was explaining to Pegasus about Kaiba. "I see...you're sure this little report is accurate?" he asked and Croquet nodded. "Yes sir. We received word from the Kaiba household from one of the spies." Pegasus, with his back turned to Croquet, hummed silently. "So, Seto Kaiba has come out of his coma...and is now making his way to my island with Ruby Jewelstone..." he spoke softly before slapping his forehead. "Oh no! What a mess I've gotten into!" he exclaimed. Behind them stood a window where the Big 5 sat.

"Mr. Pegasus! If that is true then we may need to change this entire plan..." One of the Big 5 spoke. "No! We can't turn back now!" Another spoke up. "Curse him...why couldn't he just die!"

Pegasus took a glance to them. "Now, now...there's no need for alarm. The plan can still go on! The moment we defeat Yami, the deal is complete! Kaiba Corporation will belong to you gentlemen and me! I have it all under control..Seto Kaiba nor Ruby Jewelstone will never reach Duelist Kingdom. I have it all taken care of!" Pegasus spoke. "Good...we'll take you word for it." One of the Big 5 said. "That's right! If they're both still alive, more than this deal would be in danger!"

"Have no fear..." Pegasus spoke as he walked out onto the balcony, looking out to the distance. "Poor Kaiba and Jewelstone...I'll send you back to the hell where you both belong..." he whispered

* * *

On the helicopter, Kaiba was looking over his cards before sighing lightly and looked to one of his guards. "How long has it been since the Death-T tournament?" Seto asked. "...about six months, Seto-sama." The guard said. "I see..." He sighed again. "It feels longer to me. It feels like it's been years since I've touched these cards..."

"We were all waiting for you, sir...waiting and hoping you'd get better." The guard spoke again. Ruby snorted as he took out a manila envelope. "This report details everything that happened while Seto was in a coma and I was gone. Mokuba left it with the maid, the only person he could trust other than me and Seto in the entire estate." Ruby said.

"Yes sir, I'm very worried myself. I hope Mokuba-sama is safe..." Seto was silent for a while before speaking. "So...Pegasus made a secret plot with traitors in my own home to gain control of Kaiba Corp...and kidnapped my brother. And he was able to do all this without alerting Ruby in any way..." He silently opened his briefcase which held two disks and a variety of cards.

"Seto-sama, I mean no disrespect but...please don't forget that there is another enemy on the island...the demon boy who started it all." The guard spoke up again. Kaiba was still silent. "If you beat him, sir, you can truly claim supremacy once more. You'll be No. 1 again."

Kaiba sighed. "Revenge..." he whispered as flashbacks of the last duel he had with the other played in his mind. "He's the last thing I remembered...his fighting technique was unstoppable. I don't care if my emotions boil over in rage again...I was to battle him one more time..." he replied and then looked outside._ 'Hmm...something's wrong. The position of the moon from my window hasn't remained constant...it used to be on the other side...'_ He then took a glance over to the guard who was silent now. _'Them too...'_

The guard grinned, pulling out a pistol and held it up to Kaiba's head. "It seems you noticed now, Seto Kaiba." The guard spoke. He chuckled lightly. "So, you switched sides to Pegasus now, have you?" he stated. "That's right. You have to die, the both of you...and what better way than to have you sink to the bottom of the sea. Are you ready to die?" he questioned mockingly, laughing. Kaiba shrugged and lifted up one card over his head. "Here, just let me get this out of the way. No need to stain my cards with blood." he said.

"I see...truly the little lord of the cards, aren't you? So those are your last words...then die Seto and Ruby!" he said and pulled the trigger but he wasn't expecting Kaiba to move his arm down as quick as a flash and a card now rested between the gun and hammer. _'No! H-He blocked the hammer of the gun!' _The guard thought.

When he looked back to Seto, he eeped when he saw the murderous look in his eyes. "You worthless trash...you made me damage my card! A rare card to be exact!" he hissed he grabbed the gun before bending it back, causing a snap to be heard and the guard screamed.

"My finger!" he cried, his finger bent in the opposite direction. Seto tugged the gun from him and held it up, taking the card from its place. "If you want to kill me or Ruby...you have to kill my cards first and I won't let that happen! Open the door!" he snarled and then looked to the pilot.

"You too!" The pilot looked back to him. "But..." he started to protest. "Don't worry...we both know how to fly a helicopter. Even if I splatter your brains all over the cockpit, all I need to do is wipe them off and continue on. So do it! Jump in the sea!" he growled and they both climbed out, falling into the sea below with a yell.

Kaiba laughed as he sat back, Ruby taking hold of the controls and started making their way towards Duelist Kingdom.

* * *

Jou gave a loud yawn as he lied back in his sleeping bag. "I can finally get some sleep..." he said happily. "Good night, everyone." Ryou said as he laid in his sleeping bag. Yami and Yugi walked back to where they settled and laid down, Yugi snug within Yami's arms. _'It's so dark...I hate the dark. I hope I can fall asleep quickly so I can dream. Dream of being in a bright place...'_ Jou thought as he started to doze off. Everyone was doing the same and something fell down from the tree above Honda. He peeked open as eye to see what fell and only saw the shadow of a...

"Snake!" he cried, jumping up and woke everyone else up. "What? Shut up, Honda!" Jou sneered. Yugi looked over to the flailing Honda and picked up the supposed snake. "I hate snakes and reptiles and things that have slippery skin!" he whined. "I feel highly offended for some reason." Aqua snorted.

Yugi held up the vine. "Honda, is this the snake you're talking about?" he questioned. Jou looked over and groaned. "Ah man...it's just a vine from a tree!" he said and Honda looked up and then over to Yugi who was still holding the vine. "Huh...a vine?" He nodded and Jou looked about ready to strangle him.

"You wimp! Screamin' just because of a little vine!" he exclaimed as he went back into his sleeping bag. "I'm going back to sleep!" Yugi threw the vine away before moving back to curl up beside Yami. Jou was peacefully dozing when another scream woke him and the others. "What now?" he yelled, looking over to Ryou who held up the Sennen Ring. "What's wrong, Ryou?" Yugi asked sleepily. "L-Look at this..." he whispered, holding the Ring up, showing them the needle that was pointing towards Pegasus' Castle.

Honda and Jou jumped back in fear. "The Sennen Ring! Why'd you bring that here?" They both screamed. "D-Diamond and I wonder what this means. Both of our items does this. I looked into my bag to check on the Ring...just because I was a little worried about it, that's all..." If he had his attention on the Ring, he would've heard the chuckle emitted from the spirit. "And when I took it out, it did this..." he said. "One of the needles is pointing towards Pegasus' Castle." Yugi spoke. "And that wasn't the only time it did this. It happened the day I transferred to Domino High...when I saw your puzzle, Yugi."

"Maybe the Ring is like a dowsing rod...possibly to locate the Sennen Items." Yugi said.

"I'm sure you're right, koi. It must be pointing towards the castle because of Pegasus' Sennen Item." Aqua said. "I don't get it..." Honda mumbled. Jou looked a little frightened by the info and crawled back to his sleeping bag. "I think that's all I want to know about tha' creepy item of yours, Ryou." he said, slipping back into the bag.

Ryou looked down to the Ring with a sigh. _'I have to find out the mystery of the Sennen Items. How were they created and where'd they came from? Could it possibly have a connection to Egypt since that's where my father got this and the Sennen Gem from?'_ Ryou thought before looking to Yugi, Aqua and Honda.

"Yugi...Diamond and I came to the island to help Jou and Yami...but we had another reason as well. Somewhere on this island could be clues to the mystery of the Sennen Items and we both think that Pegasus knows the secret. He has the Sennen Eye so he must possibly know something of them." Ryou said and Yugi nodded. "Ok but remember, whatever you do, do not put on the Sennen Ring. You do that and Bakura won't think twice to take over and find any remaining duelists or some guards to satisfy himself and also get closer to gaining a body." Aqua said.

"Of course. After everything he did, I could never put this on and risk everyone's lives again." Ryou said as he placed the Ring back into his back. Bakura growled as he felt the Ring be placed back into the bag. /I will convince you to let me be free once more, yadonushi. I will help you in your time of need and tell you that placing the Ring on will save you and your pathetic friends. You'll see./ he whispered. They soon went back to sleep and a few minutes went by before Jou peeks open an eye, hearing something in the distance. The sound got louder and louder until he jumped up and out of his sleeping bag in anger.

"What is it this time?" he yelled as they looked up. "It's a helicopter!" Yugi said. "Arrgh! I'm gonna so beat this guy up now! I have duels tomorrow!" Jou hissed. "Hey! It's landing!" Kaiser said. "Makes you wonder who would come to the island in the middle of the night." Aqua spoke, yawning.

Zella, Diamond and Mai walked over to where they were. Diamond rubbed her eyes as she looked to the fuming Jou. "What's going on?" she asked. "Some dimwit flew a helicopter here to the island and landed here out of all places!" he growled. The helicopter blades started coming to a stop as the door opened and someone stepped out. Yugi gasped when he saw who it was.

_'It's Kaiba!'_

Kaiba took a glance over to them as Ruby stepped out of the helicopter as well. "Is that who I think it is?" Zella questioned. "Yeah! And he's out of his coma!" Honda said. "But why is he here out of all places?" Jou questioned, still angry. Yami stepped ahead of the group, looking to Kaiba. He watched him before smirking. "Yami..."

"Kaiba..." Yami whispered before digging into his pocket. He pulled out Kaiba's deck and handed it to him. "One of your so called guards took this and gave them to some idiot who tried to defeat me. I got them back for you." he said. Kaiba was silent but took them from him.

"I'll say thank you for now...but don't be mistaken. I'm not the kind of man who'll lose a fight and walks away. I'll defeat you sooner or later." he said before he started to walk off. "And one more thing...it will be me who defeats Pegasus! I'll protect Kaiba Corporation with my own hands!" he said before calling for Ruby to come with him. Ruby snorted and looked back to the group when he saw Kaiser.

_'Now who is this golden beauty? I never saw him with them the last time we met. He must be a new friend.'_ He smirked lightly. _'I may just get myself acquainted more with the group so I can talk to him one day. I know I'll have a better chance at love than Seto does with having Jou love him back.'_ he thought before following behind Kaiba. Jou stepped in front of Yami and looked to Kaiba's back with a murderous glare. "Hold it right there, Kaiba! Don't tell me you forgot what you caused at Death-T!" Jou said, moving in front of the older teen and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

"Jou! Don't start anything now!" Yugi spoke from behind. Kaiba chuckled. "Ah yes, I certainly can't forget you. Hopefully you were grateful that I decided to spare your life." he said. Jou growled. "Why you..." he hissed and Kaiba laughed softly. "So, you're in this tournament as well. Hopefully your dueling skills has improved." he said and Jou growled, ready to punch the brunette if Yugi and Honda didn't hold him back. "Grr! I'll kick your-!" Jou snarled, struggling. "No! Jou-kun, don't start anything!" Yugi said helplessly.

He continued to struggle, glaring at the older Kaiba. "Let me go!" he growled. "Just let it go!" Honda said, trying to hold the enraged teen back. But Jou didn't listen to a word he said. "C'mon, Kaiba! I'll fight you here and now! Duelist style!" he said. Kaiba looked to him skeptically.

"Do you realize what you're saying?" He then smirked. "Very well then...I think I'll have some fun with this...and maybe gain something from it." he said. "Don't do it, Jou-kun! Kaiba's way stronger than you right now and you can't have a chance to beat him!" Yugi said as Jou removed his arm from Honda's grip.

"I can't back down! We're on!" Jou said and Yugi backed away from the other, seriously worrying about the outcome of the duel. Jou walked off before looking to Kaiba once more. "Come with me! There's a duel box over here!" he said and Kaiba only huffed as he placed the metal briefcase down and opened it. "We'll fight here." he said as he pulled out a circular object and held it out to Jou. "Put this on! It's a Duel Disk!" They were in awe at the item and Jou took it, slipping the deck holder over his left hand to rest on his wrist.

Kaiba watched him silently, a smirk on his face. _'That's how I'm going to beat Pegasus...my new card battle machine!'_ He thought. "This here is a new piece of hardware my company started developing around the same time as Death-T! It's still in the prototype stages...but this is a good opportunity to try it out." He explained as he slipped another Duel Disk over his wrist. "The rules are mostly standard Duel Monsters but the concept of the field is a little different...now put you deck into the Deck holder latched to your arm."

Jou pulled his deck out of his pocket and placed it into the slot which lit up with the life point gauge at 2000. Kaiba did the same before looking back to him. "Before we start, we need to at least five meters apart!" he spoke and they did so. "Are you ready?" Jou nodded. "Then let's start! I'll go first!" Kaiba said as he drew his five cards. "It's simple. Draw your five cards, set them to battle mode in the Duel Disk...and throw the disk into the field!" he said, tossing the disk and it spun, a monster starting to appear from the spinning disk.

"Hey! A monster's starting to appear!" Honda said as Battle Ox revealed itself. "The graphic data of the card is processed at high speed using the hyper 3-D engine built into the Duel Disk! It creates a "Solid Vision" of the monster using the V-2 Emulator!" Kaiba explained, smirking all the while.

_'Wow...a life-sized hologram without the duel box! Kaiba brought the game even further than before!'_ Yugi thought. Jou watched as Kaiba demonstrated the Duel Disk and nodded. "All right then! I'll play this card!" he said, placing Armored Lizard onto the Disk before throwing it out. "Don't let me down, Armored Lizard!" he said as the blue plated lizard appeared on the field.

"I'll take you on, Kaiba!" Jou hissed.

Kaiba's smirk widened. "You don't know what you're doing..." he whispered. _'This is my secret weapon that will defeat Pegasus! I've seen the way Pegasus duels. To counter his ability of reading the minds of his opponents across the table, there's only one way to win...to stay out of range and use this machine!'_ he thought.

"What do you know! Get him, Armored Lizard!" Jou called and the monster roared as he went to attack. "A lot more than, you of course. Battle Ox! Disembowel him with Axe Crusher!" Battle Ox gave a snort as he raised his axe and swung it down, hitting Armored Lizard directly in his neck but the blade was stuck in the armor plates.

"He got hit but he isn't destroyed! Nothing can't cut through his armor scales!" Jou said with a grin.

"Even so, that doesn't matter! Battle Ox has more attack points! Take him down!" Kaiba commanded and Battle Ox raised his axe again, lifting Jou's monster along with it and slammed it down to the ground once more. Armored Lizard let out a choked roar as the blade dug through the armor plates enough to cleanly slice his head off and the monster disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Jou groaned as his monster was destroyed and his life points decreased to 1800. As the monster was destroyed, his card was flicked out of the duel disk. Jou saw this and ran after it. "M-My card..." he called.

"Jou! Pick it up later!" Kaiser called. Jou snorted before turning back to Kaiba. "If the monster loses and your card is lost, pull the wire of the Duel Disk towards you and pull the disk back!" he said. "You mean like this?" Jou said, tugging the wire and the disk came back and he caught it. _'I see now! This Duel Disk is like a yo-yo! And I'm good with them so using this is a cinch!'_ Jou though. "Now that it's your turn, set a new card and throw the disk like before!"

"Ok! Here's my next card! The Flame Swordsman! That Battle Ox is going down!" Jou said as he placed his card onto the disk and threw it out. "The Flame Swordsman...maybe that could win against that Battle Ox!" Ryou said. "This match is mine! Toki Enzan Ken!" Flame Swordsman charged it and their weapons clashed. Yugi was silent before he let out a gasp. _'How could I forget! Battle Ox has a resistance to fire so Flame Swordsman's attack will decrease by 300 points!'_ he thought worriedly as Battle Ox took down Flame Swordsman with a swipe of his mighty axe.

_'No! Not even Flame Swordsman can stand a chance!'_ Jou thought. "Don't give up, Jou-kun!" Diamond called. "But is there any way for him to defeat Kaiba? It looks hopeless now." Honda spoke. "Jou-kun..." Yugi whispered. "Hmm, this wasn't what I expected from you, Jounouchi. I thought you would've gotten better but I guess I was wrong. This is more like an exhibition match! I won't take your star chips so don't worry about that! But..." Kaiba's smirk darkened along with his features. "I will get something from you out of this if I win."

Jou glowered at him. "And what would that be?" he snarled. "Probably a kiss or something. I still have my thoughts that he likes you, Jou-kun." Aqua said. Jou shivered at the thought. "Lets hope not." he said. Kaiba chuckled. "You never know. He may be right." he said as he drew his card.

"Now, since its getting boring, I'll play two new cards this turn!" he said as he brought the disk back. He placed two cards onto the disk before sending it back out. "They're both known to be from Greek mythology, after all...so if I combine a Minotaur and a Centaur..." The monster appeared with a roar. "Then I'll get a Mino-Centaur fusion combo! Meet the Rabid Horseman!"

"Grr...Kaiba...think you're so smart..." Jou hissed as he brought the disk back and placed Swamp Battleguard onto it. "I'll never forgive you!" He sent the disk back out, the ogre monster appearing onto the field. "I won't forget about Death-T and I will never like you!" he shouted, sending his monster to attack. "Go Rabid Horseman! Attack!" Kaiba commanded. Both monsters charged in for their attack but Swamp Battleguard was easily destroyed. Jou growled as he brought back the disk. "Then how about this!" he said, placing another monster onto the field.

"It won't work, Jounouchi! You have lost when you decided to challenge me!" The duel continued with each monster Jou sent out being destroyed by Rabid Horseman. Jou's life points were now at 500 and he started to see that there was possibly no way for him to beat Kaiba. "Just give up, Jounouchi. I admired your courage for challenging me but I'm just too strong for you!" Kaiba said. _'He's right...I was a fool for challenging him when he's already stronger than me...'_ he thought.

"Hang in there, Jou!" Honda called.

"Yeah! I know you can do something!" Yugi said.

"Aren't you ashamed? Stand up and fight! I don't want to see you down on your knees against this prick!" Mai shouted and then covered her mouth in embarrassment. _'What am I saying...?'_ she thought. Kaiba looked to her and glared. _'She better not have eyes for him or else.'_ he thought. Jou turned to her angrily.

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear that from you, Mai!" he said to her before turning back to Kaiba. "I'm not giving up! The battle's not over!" he said as he drew his card and looked to it before grinning. "My next card happens to be..." He brought back the disk and placed the card down before sending it back out again. "The super rare Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Jou announced and Kaiba was surprised at seeing the dragon.

_'The Black Dragon...a dragon the rivals the power of the Blue Eyes. How was he able to get such a card?'_ he pondered. "Yeah! You can win now!" Yugi cheered. _'The Red Eyes may fight with fire but even with the 300 attack point deduction because of Rabid Horseman's resistance to fire, he can still beat him anyway!'_

"Here I come! Attack Red Eyes with Black Fire Bullet!" The Red Eyes roared in agreement as a black and red fireball gathered in her jaws before the dragon let the molten attack careen towards the monster. Rabid Horseman gave a roar of defeat as the attack made contact and the monster soon disappeared from the field. "Yeah!" Jou cheered along with the others. Kaiba's life points decreased to 1600 but he only chuckled. "Nothing but a little scratch but I do give you points for effort." he spoke as he drew his next card and smirked.

"Now, why don't we see whose dragon is the strongest. Time to meet my dragon." Kaiba murmured as he drew back the disk and placed the card onto to it before sending it out. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The dragon roared as he appeared onto the field and Red Eyes roared back in challenge. The two dragons faced off, Red Eyes glaring with anger and the Blue Eyes looking on in curiosity. Yami watched intensely before chuckling. Yugi looked up to him in wonder. /What're you laughing about?/ Yugi questioned.

/Kaiba's Blue Eyes has been smitten./ Yami spoke.

Yugi looked confused. /What do you mean?/ he asked again.

/Many duelists think that the cards don't have souls or minds of their own but they do and sometimes can be easily seen through the duel but the controller of the cards don't see that but I can. As of now, Kaiba's Blue Eyes has fallen in love with Jou-kun's Red Eyes but of course, Red Eyes doesn't share the same feelings because of Jou-kun's hatred towards Kaiba./ Yami explained. /Oh, I see now. Do you think that Kaiba's Blue Eyes will ever get the chance to meet and make amends?/ Yugi asked.

/Maybe. Our cards can travel between decks in the Shadow Realm but since Jou-kun despises Kaiba, it will be hard for even the strongest of Kaiba's monsters to get to where Jou-kun's deck resides./

Yugi nodded. /Too bad for the Blue Eyes then but I do hope that he does find a way./ he said.

"You may have be able to send out your strongest monster, Jounouchi, but it ends now! Go Blue Eyes! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Kaiba commanded. The Blue Eyes hesitated and looked to the Red Eyes sorrowfully before unleashing his attack, destroying the dragon and the rest of Jou's life points. At the force of the dragon's attack, Jou flew back and landed on the ground, causing Honda, Zella and Yugi to run over to him. "Jou-kun! Jou-kun, are you alright?" Zella asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine." He whispered, glaring at Kaiba still. The Blue Eyes curled protectively around Kaiba, still a gleam of sorrow in his eyes for destroying the other dragon as Kaiba spoke. "Now do you see, Yami? I'm the one who will defeat Pegasus!" he said, looking to the other. He then took a glance to his dragon.

"Return, Blue Eyes!" he said and the dragon returned back to his card and Kaiba pulled the disk back into his hands, removing the card. Kaiba removed the disk from his arms before looking down to Jou. Jou growled as he removed the Duel Disk as well and tossed it towards Kaiba's feet.

"I must say, it's either with luck...or with your friends' help that you won a few duels. But now, you lost against me so who knows if you'll win your duels tomorrow." Kaiba spoke as he walked over towards them. Zella hissed as she glared up towards him. "Who cares what you think! What do you know anyways? You don't know what Jou-kun is dueling for! You don't know what he's fighting so hard for! You don't know anything Kaiba so zip it with the insults!" Zella hissed. "Yeah! Jou-kun's sister's eyes are..." Ryou started.

"Don't say anymore, Ryou! He doesn't need to know about my personal life." Jou shouted and Ryou went silent. _'His sister's eyes...?'_ Mai thought. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at what Ryou started to say and would've prodded more if Ruby didn't nudge him, holding the other Duel Disk. "Come on. Let's get going before you cause more of a problem here." he said, handing him the disk. Kaiba snorted as he snatched the disk from him and went back over to his briefcase and placed it in along with the other.

"I may like you, Jounouchi, but you have far to go before you can become a duelist." he started, closing the briefcase and standing up with it in hand. "You dueling skill is nothing but a minor compared to mine and it will take a lot of skill in order for you to defeat me." he said, ready to walk over to claim his prize but Ruby grabbed his jacket. "No, Seto. You already done enough." he said. "Keep this act up and any chances of you getting together will be long gone." he whispered. Kaiba huffed before turning away and started walking off with Ruby behind him.

Yugi stood from Jou's side and looked to him. "You...you're just the same as before! You say you have some interest for Jou but you still insult and tease him! You haven't changed at all, have you?"

Kaiba turned back to him. "Yugi...do you expect me to just disperse the facade that has long been engraved into my very soul? Not even what Aqua has done to me will make me feel the urge to be any nicer to you or your friends. I like Jounouchi, I can admit that but it will take me a long while to show those emotions to him." He then sighs as he turns away. "Even with him not liking me, much less love me back, I will wait til this earth is destroyed for him to accept me." Kaiba whispered as he looked towards Pegasus' Castle in the distance.

"That is where he waits! Maximillion Pegasus! A men with immeasurable powers! The creator of Duel Monsters...his mind created the rules, his hands created all the cards...On this island, duelists collect star chips, trying to reach that castle...but they won't win! They're merely playing in the palm of the God of the Card Kingdom!" Kaiba spoke and Yugi sneered as he looked back to Yami and the duel glove that rested over his hand. "Yami...even with your skill, you can't beat Pegasus. I've seen him duel just once in the past." he said and then thought about it. "No..that couldn't even be called a duel. He won without fighting!"

Ruby sighed as he looked to him and then back to the others. "I'll go into the story before he makes a big deal of that day..."

_/"Duel Monsters is a smash success in its home country of America. There are many tournaments, some with huge prizes, and the number of players is said to be in excess of 20 million...among those players, there are prize hunters who are called Card Professors...America's No. 1 Card Professor, Keith Howard! Because he wins all the big prizes, people called him "Bandit Keith"! Keith himself issued a challenge to Pegasus! At first, Pegasus wasn't too interested..."/_

"Oh! I have a good idea!" Pegasus spoke the day Keith issued the challenge to him.

_/"...But he accepted on two conditions. First, to make the prize a million dollars...and second...to hold it in a stadium capable of holding 50,000 people...to have it broadcast nationwide...and to split the earnings with the sponsors and TV stations! We were both invited as guests. We got to sit in the front row and get a good view of the duel...Pegasus used the time before the duel to gather kids unfamiliar with card games...he eagerly explained to them how to play cards..."/_

"Yes! I did it! ...So if he plays that card, put this card in attack mode!" A kid spoke. Pegasus smiled as the kid made his play and rubbed his head. "Splendid! Ah, my Wonder Boy! I can't believe you're just a beginner! What's your name, son?" Pegasus asked.

"I'm Tom! This game is fun but it costs a lot of money to collect them...I don't get much allowance so I can't build a good deck..." he replied.

"Oh my! Then these cards are my special gift to you! It's more than enough for you to be able to play!" Pegasus said, holding a deck of cards to the child. "No way! Thank you, Mr. Pegasus!" Tom exclaimed as he accepted the cards. Pegasus smiled before gathering the kids around him and looked to the camera. "All right, kids! Look at the camera and give them a big smile!" he said happily.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and Ruby nudged him.

_/"And so the duel began!"/_

"Heh heh...nice hair, you big hippie! So you like little boys, huh? It's an honor to fight you...and the moment this duel is over, it'll be proven that I'm the best in the whole world!" Keith said as he shuffled his deck. "Now! I shuffled the deck! Ready to start?" he questioned and drew his cards, smirking as he looked at his hand. "Heh heh...I drew some good cards..." he whispered as he looked to Pegasus and saw he didn't even made a move to pick up his five cards. "Hey! What're you doing? The game started already!"

Pegasus smirked as he looked to him, his hair parted slightly to reveal the Sennen Eye. _'Mind Scan...'_ The Eye glimmered, showing everything Keith had planned like a open book.

_/"Then Pegasus started writing on a piece of paper...and the next moment, he did something unbelievable!"/_

"Hey, Tom! Come here!" he called. The boy came from the crowd and down to the playing field, standing next to Pegasus as he stood. "What is it, Mr. Pegasus?" he asked. "Tom! C'mon, sit at the table..!" he said, ushering the boy into his seat. "You are going to duel in my place!"

"What? You're joking, right?" Tom exclaimed in surprise.

"Wh-What? Stop messin' around, Pegasus!" Keith spoke in anger.

Pegasus took the sheet of paper he had and handed it to Tom. "Don't worry! If you do exactly what it says on this paper, you'll win!" he said before standing back up and walked towards the other seats in the front row. "B-But Mr. Pegasus..." Tom stuttered and Keith glared at his retreating back. "Come back here!" Keith yelled.

Pegasus didn't acknowledge him and sat down in the empty seat beside Kaiba. "Hello Kaiba-boy!" Pegasus said. Kaiba didn't say a word but then Pegasus turned to him. "Oh, by the way...I took a look at the proposal Card Battle Simulation Boxes...what a great idea! I would love my company and Kaiba Corp. to develop it together! Let's make it a reality!" Kaiba was surprised at hearing him take to the idea so quickly but recomposed himself and went back to watching the duel.

_'Running away rather than lose to me...! Fine, at least now the prize is mine!'_ Keith thought. "Hurry up, kid! Here's my card!" he said, placing the monster onto the table. "Um..ok...when you play that card...I'll put Flying Elephant in attack mode...now the Fissure Attack you were going for is nullified...and I win. Th-This is all...written on this paper..." Tom said as he placed the card down onto the field. _'No! That can't be!'_ Keith thought in shock. "Wow...your cards...your strategy...every move you made...it's all on this paper! And it even says how to beat you!"

Keith stood up angrily. "That's crazy!" he snarled. "Lemme see that!" he said, snatching the paper from Tom and looked over it and it eyes widened as he read it. _'It's true!'_ he thought and then yelled out in agony as he realized his career as the No. 1 American Card Professor was sullied on TV nationwide. "Wow! Tom wins!" Pegasus said in mock surprise and both Ruby and Kaiba looked on in shock. Pegasus stood and looked back to Kaiba. "Well then, Kaiba-boy! We'll talk more about that in detail later...!" he said as he walked over to Tom.

"Hey, Tom! Come with me to the front of the TV camera!" Pegasus said gleefully as he brought the boy in front of the camera. "Hey all you out there in TV land! This is the world's greatesr card game - where any beginner can beat a strong champion! It's Duel Monsters! Available at a hobby shop near you!" Pegasus announced.

Kaiba rubbed him temples as to get rid of the rising headache and Ruby let out a sigh. "Next time, let's never come to any more gatherings dealing with Pegasus. Seeing about the simulation boxes is the last thing I will ever deal with when it comes to Pegasus." Ruby spoke, looking to Kaiba. He nodded in agreement and they soon left.

"Pegasus turned the whole tournament into a commercial for Duel Monsters!" Ruby finished and everyone was all in shock at the story. _'Mind Scan...So Pegasus did have the power to read his opponent's mind.'_ Yami thought, eyes narrowed. _'I can't believe it! If what Ruby said is true...Pegasus' powers are beyond human!'_ Jou thought.

"I don't know what kind of trick he used across the table to predict Keith's strategy flawlessly...but there's a possibility to win if I challenge him with this Duel Disk!" Kaiba spoke as he turned to Yami. "I'm going to Pegasus' Castle, Yami! To defeat him and take back what we almost lost!" he said before he walked off.

"Kaiba!" Yami finally spoke and he turned back to him. "Just like you - we too have precious things we can't lose! And we will protect them! I'm going to beat Pegasus and tear him apart with my claws if I have to so I can regain what I foolishly lost!" Yami snarled.

Kaiba watched him before turning back and continued to walk towards the castle. "Then let me put it this way...We're going into Pegasus' Castle before _you_! Come on, Ruby!" he said as he soon disappeared into the dark forest. Ruby sighed again, took another glance to Kaiser before leaving off into the forest behind Kaiba.

* * *

Zypher: And that the end for this chapter! Now time for another wonderful story in the book of Duel Monsters. Enjoy.

-Shadow Realm: Kaiba's deck-

Yikido sighed as he paced through the dragons' den. Torone and Aoi watched him before Aoi stepped in front of him /"Alright, Yikido. What's wrong with you? Although you're angry most of the time, what makes you so depressed now?"/ Aoi questioned. Yikido snarled in anger and pushed the other dragon out of his path.

/"It's none of your business, Aoi! Leave me alone!"/ he hissed as he continued to pace around. Torone watched him before snorting. /"Just leave him alone, Aoi. I know what he's all upset about but all I can say is that Jounouchi-kun's Red Eyes would never go for a pompous, self-centered dragon like him. She's more better off with you...or better yet, me."/ Torone spoke

Yikido heard this and snarled as he faced the lounging dragon. /"And what makes you think you're good for her, huh?"/ he hissed. /"And more likely, how do you even know about the Red Eyes? I was the only one to go up against her and I surely didn't say anything about the duel!"/ Yikido snarled. /"We asked Roquen when he came back from the graveyard and he told us about the new monster that was the clear opposite of us but not as strong. It was just sheer luck that you were the only one to go up against him."/ Torone spoke.

Yikido snorted in anger. _'Damn that horseman.'_ he thought with a hiss as he glared at Torone. /"Well let me tell you this, by any means is that Red Eyes going to love you. I saw her first and it was love at first sight for me! I won't let any of you come near him once I figure out the location of Jounouchi's deck!"/ Yikido snarled, glaring hotly at the two dragons.

Torone growled as he stood. /"No need to get selfish, Yikido! Besides, what makes you think you can get through the barrier around Jounouchi-kun's deck to reach his monsters? That barrier definitely won't allow you through since you are one of Kaiba-sama's monsters and he already despises him. There's no hope for you."/ Torone hissed.

/"I'll find a way! I'll tell you that! I _will_ find a way!"/ he roared as sapphire eyes gave an icy glare to Torone. /"You won't find a way, Yikido! It's impossible unless you gain help from Master Yami or Master Aqua. Even Master Yugi could try and help but the possibilities are quite narrow for not one has visited the Shadow Realm and doesn't seem to plan to anytime soon, especially bringing Master Yugi with them when he clearly can't survive in these conditions!"/ Torone snapped. Yikido snarled against before lunging towards the unaware dragon and they got into a fight, biting, slashing and clawing at one another.

Aoi quickly reacted and tried to split apart the two fighting dragons but he couldn't reach any of them. Their tails lashing and wings unfurling made it even harder to reach them. Aoi growled before gathering energy in his jaws and shot it a close inch to the fighting dragons and they both stopped, looking up to the third.

/"Enough, from the both of you! Jounouchi's Red Eyes will make the decision on her own if she will even accept either of you! As of now, she only knows of the hatred Jounouchi has for Kaiba-sama which mean she could be angry at the monsters of Kaiba-sama's deck! Yikido, you of all dragons should know that you couldn't possibly have a chance unless there was a way that you can go through the barrier and you'll have to get some sort of confirmation from Master Yami or Master Aqua! Not only that but Jounouchi will have to accept you to be freely wandering through his deck as well!"/ Aoi explained angrily as he paced away from the dragon with an angry snort.

/"For all I know, he will think one of us roaming through his deck is a trick placed by Kaiba-sama so one of us could somehow relay the cards he has in his deck to him."/ he finished as he glanced at the fuming dragon. Yikido snarled angrily and Aoi sent an even colder glare to him.

/"Get it through your thick skull, Yikido. The chances of you ever meeting that Red Eyes is nul. You can search through the entire realm and probably can't find a way to her. The only way you could have any chance of meeting is to beg to Master Yami or Master Aqua to let Jounouchi grant you entrance into his deck's territory."/ Aoi said before looking to Torone.

/"And you should know to never piss him off. He's already temperamental and pushing the wrong buttons will get you hurt and I'm not willing to look for Gyakutenno if you two become injured."/ he said before leaving them alone. Yikido growled as he went to his bed and laid down with a huff. Torone watched Aoi leave before looking to Yikido.

/"I still say that Jounouchi-kun's Red Eyes will be perfectly fine with a more _mature _dragon like me. We may work together in this deck, Yikido, but for the heart of a majestic dragon like the Red Eyes, only one can gain her heart and it can only be one of us."/ he whispered as he left out before the other could try to attack him again.

/"And I warn you, Yikido, get in my way and Kaiba-sama will be short one Blue Eyes."/ he hissed before flying off and Yikido snarled. _'We'll see about that, Torone. We'll see.'_ he thought before he fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Zypher: Alright, totally unexpected but we needed some action in these duel stories. We all love the Mahaado/Celtic fluff, I agree, but now it time for something new so here you are. A battle between two competitive Blue Eyes White Dragons for Akai. I will warn you, Yikido may be a pissy dragon whose ready to bite someone's head off but he isn't too evil, just has a spark of anger raging within 24/7.

So I'll leave it up to you readers to who get Akai's heart, either Yikido or Torone. Aoi's just there to split up fights between the two and is the more reasonable one but isn't too interested in getting together with Akai. Anyways, hoped this satisfied any little sparks of action-y moments in the Duel Monsters stories and I'll see you later with another chapter.

Note: All fusion monsters are considered separate monsters just you'll know that in future Duel Monsters stories.

Quick translation - Roquen: Horseman


	10. Escaping Death: Jou vs Kozuka

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another installment to Yami no Game. Happy as always that you enjoyed the last chapter is here's another one for you all.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 10

* * *

-2:30 AM-

Kaiba and Ruby were finally at the steps of the castle, Kaiba with a cool, determined look in his eyes as he ascended the stairs with Ruby trailing behind. At the doors leading inside, the two guards were talking with one another. "Hey, did you hear? They lost contact with the helicopter pilot!" One of the guards said to Saruwatari, the other guard. "What? Did they go and crash into the sea?" he questioned. "No...the radio didn't go dead. I hear it's still transmitting but no one's answering it."

"What the...? Wait...! Now that you mention it, I thought I hear a chopper tonight. You don't think it's the same one do you?" Kaiba and Ruby finally made it to the and they turned their attention to them and gasped.

"What the-?"

"It's you! K-Kai..."

Kaiba cut him off with a glare. "Get Pegasus! Tell him Seto Kaiba and Ruby Jewelstone is here to see him!" Kaiba said. The metal doors opened and Croquet walked out silently, a smile on his face. "Well, well, Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Jewelstone. This is truly a surprise! We weren't expecting you so late in the night..." he spoke.

"Hmph...I'm _so _sorry your spies didn't kill us first!" Kaiba mocked as he and Ruby followed behind Croquet into the courtyard of the castle. "This happens to be your second time on the island, isn't it? That's right...now I remember. You two were here for the party to celebrate the completion of the card Battle Simulation box!" Croquet said.

"Alright, enough with the idle chit-chat...we both know you kidnapped Mokuba! Where is he?" Ruby said with a hiss, looking to Croquet. "What? Mokuba...? Oh...your little brother. "Kidnapped"? Now why on earth would we do that? I'm afraid we haven't seen him around." Croquet stated. "You're nothing but a waste of time!" Kaiba growled. "Let me talk to Pegasus!"

Croquet took a glance at his watch and tsked disapprovingly. "I'm afraid that's impossible. It's three in the morning...Pegasus-sama is in bed..." He then looked back to them with a small grin. "How about this? I'll get a room for you both...tonight you can rest, and tomorrow you can..." He stopped when Kaiba took a fistful of his shirt.

"I want to see him now!" Croquet chuckled lightly. "Heh...I understand, sir. Mr. Pegasus is right behind the next gate. If you can open it." he said and Kaiba let go of him before they started making their way to the next gate. Kaiba took a glance down to the lock and growled. "What the...!" he hissed. _'A padlock with star shaped holes?'_ he thought.

"That's right, sir. The only way to open this gate is to put ten star chips in the mechanism. In other words, only the few chosen who survive the duels are allowed to pass this gate." He then turned to Ruby and Kaiba. "You two and I are no exception." Kaiba growled again and Croquet laughed, bowing down to him. "Now, if you don't mind, there is a room for you two in the annex...please step this way..." he said, walking off and without another choice, they followed him.

* * *

Jou moaned pitifully as he was caught in the middle of a dream, or a nightmare in his case.

-Dream/Nightmare-

It was dark and his deck was the only thing he could see through the darkness. "This is it! This is the time I'll draw the card I need!" he said to himself as he picked up the card and looked at it. He cursed when he saw it was another bad card. "Man...not another bad card.."

A roar was heard and he looked up to the Blue Eyes that stared down at him menacingly. "I said you couldn't win, Jounouchi! It was fruitless to even try and now you will have to pay! After this, you'll probably be afraid to duel again!" Kaiba said as he ordered the Blue Eyes to attack.

-End Dream/Nightmare-

Jou gasped as he woke up from nightmare, sitting up quickly as he tried to regain his breath. _'Just a dream...more like a nightmare. And he says he likes me when he already torments me in my dreams.'_ he thought._ 'Afraid to duel, puh...lowdown good for nothing scumbag.'_ He them looked over to Yugi and Yami who were still sleeping peacefully.

_'Why would I be scared? Yami's been fighting one tough guy after another without flinching or breaking a sweat. He duels because he has someone to protect and if he can do it...'_ Jou thought as he stood. "Then I can too! I'm not gonna lose to anyone again!" he said with determination before looking to the others. "It's morning! Wake up, guys!" he called and everyone yawned as they started to wake.

-Duelist Kingdom Tournament Day 2, 9:30 AM-

"It's the last day of the tournament! Let's go win duels and get some star chips!" Jou exclaimed. "And then go to Pegasus Castle!" Honda groaned as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. "I'm still sleepy, though." he whined. They all stood and Ryou looked over to the castle. "I wonder if Kaiba and Ruby made it to the castle last night?" he pondered. "Knowing Kaiba, they probably did." Yami spoke. "Hey, everyone's up!" Zella said happily as she and Diamond walked over to the group. "Oh, morning Zella, Diamond." Yugi said before looking around.

"Hey...where's Kujaku-san?" he asked. "She was gone when we woke up this morning. She left the tent and enough food for all of us though." Zella said, holding the bag up. "She must've gone off on her own now." Yugi said. "Oh, that's right." Diamond said, digging into her pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "She left this note for Yami. It's a I.O.U." she said, handing the note to him and he looked it over.

_To Yami -_

_I owe you eight star chips._

_-Mai_

It ended with a lip print at the end and he nodded before the note turned into ashes and blew away. They started to gather everything up, Aqua dispersing the sleeping bags and then looked to everything. "Is everyone packed?" They all nodded. "Then let's go!" Jou cheered. As they started to new day, it was Jou with 4 star chips and Yami with 6.

They walked off and looked around. "I wonder how many duelists are left on the island?" Yugi questioned. "Well, 12 were kicked off the first day..." Keara spoke. "And there must be a bunch who were kicked out by the player killers in the night." Yami hissed, eyes narrowed as he thought about Panik. _'I'm glad I killed him. He only did so much to satisfy my hunger, though.'_

"I bet that already half of the 40 participants were disqualified by that alone." Yugi said. "Well, we still have a whole day left. The important thing is for you to be careful who you fight and get six more chips without getting taken out!" Honda said, looking to Jou.

"But we can't take too long. It's all over when enough duelists collect 10 star chips before we do." Yami said. "We learned that only four people can reach the castle and if we want to be part of those four, we must hurry."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. The remaining duelists on the island are those who survive the first day. Those that survive have to be stronger!" Jou flinched at the thought of stronger duelists and Honda saw this. "Hey, Yugi! Stop scaring poor Jou-kun!" Honda jeered playfully and he glared at him. "Who're you calling scared?" he shouted, stretching Honda's face.

"Yu urr too skehd!" he mumbled.

"Hey, stop fighting!" Diamond said, splitting up the two and Jou looked on with determination. "Hmph! No matter who stands in my way...no matter what enemy...I'll take them down!" he said. Aqua smiled. "That's the spirit, Jou-kun! And we'll be here by your side to support you all the way." he said, placing a hand on his shoulder as they continued to walk on, unaware of the two mysterious figures watching them.

"How about them?" one questioned. "Let's get those guys!"

"Wait...look closer!" the other said, looking through a pair of binoculars. "Only two of them are duelists! And one of them is Yami!" The first gasped as he looked to him. "We better tell Keith-sama! We shouldn't do anything before we talk to him!" He nodded before they both ran off to where Keith was. "...so I win the prize! And this is the card I used to do it!" Keith spoke, looking to a red head man wearing glasses who was in awe as he listened to the story. "Cool!" he exclaimed as he looked over the card.

"Hey Keith-sama!" The smaller male called as he and the other ran over to where he sat. He turned to look to them and smirked. "Find any targets?" he demanded. "Yeah...two of 'em..."

"Um...but maybe we should leave 'em alone...we might not be able to beat them."

The second nodded. "Yeah! One of 'em's that Yami kid!" Keith smirked. "Yami? Never heard of him..." he spoke. "He's the supposed demon kid who beat Kaiba! They say he's a sure thing to get through the tournament and get into the castle!" Keith's smirk widened. "Who says? They don't know what they're talking about...I don't give a fuck if it's Yami or whoever..." He then looked to his three lackeys. "The four of us are going to the castle! That's how it's gonna be!" he said.

The kid nodded shakily. "Y-Yeah!"

"Yeah! That's right! That's what we're teamed up for!" The big, burly man spoke.

"Man, we're so lucky we met you! A real Duel Monsters Pro! We'll storm the castle easily!" Keith chuckled to himself, adjusting his glasses. "Uh huh...You guys just keep taking my advice and you don't have nothing to worry about." he said before removing is glasses and looking up to them again. "You just listen to Bandit Keith!"

"Yeah! America's No. 1 Prize hunter! We don't have anything to worry about! Bandit Keith is on our side!" They cheered. Keith took a glance towards the castle. _'Just you want Pegasus...you fucking sissy! I'll never forgive you for humiliating me on national TV! I'm gonna beat you if it's the last thing I do!'_ he thought as the ashes from the humiliation still burned brightly in his soul. He smirked as he placed his glasses back on. _"I'll let these guys win my star chips for me and get to the castle without soiling my hands!'_

"But what about that guy with him?"

"Oh, you mean that blonde hair kid? He looks like an amateur." Keith nodded as he stood. "All right! Then he'll be our target! We've got to lure him away from the others so they won't follow!" The kid and the two taller males looked to one another in thought before looking back to Keith.

"That might be kinda hard. They're always in a group." The kid said. "And I worry about that Yami kid being a demon. He will probably tear us apart if he finds out what we're doing." he whispered to the other two. "Damn, you're guys...what are you worried about? We've just gotta push him down the hole!"

"The hole?"

"Yeah! The entrance to the caves is under this island! There's a duel box hidden down there...like a hidden stage found in a video game. And I found the way in!" he said, his smirk widening. "A hidden stage!" They all said in shock. "Yep. This island used to be occupied by the U.S. Military during the war. A lot of troops were buried here. You know all about the other terrains on the island...but what you don't know is there's a graveyard field!" he said. _'A graveyard field?'_ They all thought in surprise.

He then pointed to the bone-faced kid. "Hey! You deck's made of zombies, right?" he asked. He nodded. "Um...yeah..." he spoke. "Good! You'll play in the crypt!" The kid smirked as he pulled out his deck. "Leave it to me, Keith-sama! They don't call me "Ghost" Kozuka for nothing!" he said with determination.

"Lemme see your cards just in case." Keith said, holding out his hand. Kozuka gave him his deck and he looked through before frowning in disappointment. "Damn...this deck won't cut it." he murmured and Kozuka as surprised. Keith stood with another smirk and opened his vest to reveal pockets teeming with various decks. "But don't worry! I'll loan you some of my cards and turn that puny deck into the ultimate zombie deck!"

Keith quickly revamped Kozuka's deck and once he was satisfied with the results, he handed it back to him. "Play with these! You'll win for sure!" Kozuka eagerly took the new deck and looked through the cards he gotten. The burly male stood behind him, looking at the cards and grinning as he turned to look to Keith. "Man, you're ready for anything! You have all these pre-prepared decks just ready for use anywhere!"

"Yeah! It's totally because of your cards that we've been kicking so much butt lately! Of course, we technically are suppose to have only a 40-card deck..." Keith chuckled. "Who's counting? Forget all about that rule! Besides, technically, I'm not really in this tournament but when I heard about it and the prize, how can I pass it up?" Keith spoke. _'It doesn't matter how I do it of course...if I can collect ten star chips and get to the castle, no one will complain about me not being an invited duelist! I'll beat Pegasus and gain that prize!'_

"All right! Let's get moving! Kozuka, Sakate, Takaido! You know what to do!"

"Yeah!"

"O-Okay."

* * *

Yugi and the gang looked around as they traversed through the forest more, seeing no sign of any other duelists. "Where are the other duelists?" Jou questioned, looking around still. "Yeah, I'm curious about that. We haven't seen any for a while and there's sure to be duel boxes somewhere in this forest." Zella said. Kozuka and Sakate watched from a nearby bush and they walked by. Jou shifted a bit before stopping. "Time out, guys! I need to take a leak!" he said before running off. The three hidden in the bush grinned.

"Now's our chance!" Takaido whispered as they snuck off behind him.

Yami snorted as he raised his head and Yugi looked to him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Something doesn't feel right." he whispered. Yugi took hold of his hand in a comforting grip as they waited for Jou to return. Jou sighed in relief as he finished up his business, unaware of the presence behind him.

"Ah, much better.." he said as he was about to walk off but gasped as someone grabbed hold of him and covered his mouth, muffling his shout as they carried him off. "We got him!" Kozuka cheered as Jou struggled in his captors' grip as they dragged him towards the hole in the ground. They walked through the dark tunnel for a good while before seeing Keith ahead. "Keith-sama! We got him!" Kozuka called.

"Good! Throw him in the box!"

They dragged him in and while Kozuka took his seat, Sakate and Takaido shoved Jou into the other seat. "We've been saving a seat for you!" Sakate said and Jou continued to struggle to get free. "What the-! Who are you guys!" he shouted. He then finally stopped struggling enough to take a glance of his surroundings and a shiver ran up his spine before letting out a shout in terror. _"Welcome to the crypt...my zombies will make this place your grave!"_ Kozuka whispered in a terrifying voice, creeping him out even more.

_"Let's duel!"_ he said again, placing his deck onto the table

* * *

Aqua's ears twitched slightly and he looked up. Yugi looked to him curiously and he shrugged his shoulders. "I thought I heard something." he whispered. "I wonder what could be taking him so long?" Yugi said, looking to them. "Probably number "two" for all we know." Honda grunted and Zella slapped his shoulder. "Don't be gross, Honda!" she hissed. They continued to stay there, hoping that Jou would come back soon but to Yami and Aqua, the more they wait, they more they feel that something was wrong.

* * *

_"Are you ready? My deck of zombies is waiting hungrily to pull the meat from your bones..."_ Kozuka whispered with a chuckle. After a few seconds of no response from Jou, Sakate slammed a hand upon the table, looking to the other angrily. "All right, that's enough with the introduction! Get out your cards! Time to play!" he said and then took a closer look at him. Jou was foaming at the mouth, eyes blank and he burst out laughing, shaking him. "Look at this, Keith-sama! This guy passed out on us!" he said, still laughing.

"Hmph...damn...I thought he'd be worth a fight since he's friends with this Yami character..looks like he's a "cluck cluck" chicken..." Keith murmured, the side of his mouth twisted up in a faint grin. "What a wimp!" Kozuka said as he pointed to the passed out teen, laughing along with Sakate. "That's enough! Wake him up!" Keith shouted and Sakate nodded as he muffled the last of his laughter and gripped Jou's jacket "Hey you..." he started, raising a hand. "Don't waste our time!" he growled as he slapped Jou hard across the face.

Shocked out of his reverie, Jou glared at the other from the corner of his eye.

"What the...?" He jumped out from the chair and grabbed hold of his shirt. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, fist raised up and ready to punch Sakate when he looked down to the ground and saw the many skulls that littered the floor and froze up again. "Wh-Where am I?" he said, starting to shake in fear. _"You're in the crypt! A hidden duel arena!"_ Kozuka spoke hauntingly. _'Th-The crypt!'_ His mind processed as he moved to sit back down in the chair facing Kozuka.

_"Yes...this cave is haunted by the spirits of soldiers killed in the pacific war...ghosts...all around you! You can't hide from them!"_ he spoke. "Now! Let's start the game! Draw your cards!" Jou shivered again as he dug through his pocket and pulled out his deck, quickly shuffling before placing his cards onto the table. _'I'm scared...omigosh...this is bad...I'm dead meat!'_ he thought as cold sweat dripped down his face. "We'll both bet all of our star chips. Put all the chips you got on the board!" Jou took out the four he had from his glove as Kozuka did the same. _'If I lose these, I'm out...'_

Keith watched with a smirk, chuckling mentally. _'Looks like I've won another four star chips...by teaming up with these idiots and beating one duelist at a time, it'll be no time before I have enough to get into the castle!'_ His smirk widened. _'Good luck, drone...for each time you win, you're getting me closer to the castle!'_

_"After this, you'll probably be afraid to duel again!"_ Kaiba's voice rang and he growled.

_'Shit! I gotta fight! If I run from this, I'll really be a loser and I hate proving Kaiba right!'_ he thought. _'And not only that, I will never be able to look Yami or Yugi, not even Aqua in the eye ever again for being such a coward!'_

"Let's go!" Kozuka snickered as they both drew their cards. _'This field is 100 percent graveyard! Simply perfect for my zombie deck!'_ he thought. "Come on now! Bury this guy under the ground already!" Sakate said from beside him. "Don't worry, I will!" he said as Jou took the first turn. _'Don't think about them, just play!'_ He drew his card before looking through his hand. "Alright. Here's my first card!" he said, placing Axe Raider onto the field.

* * *

"I'm really worried now. Jou's taking a long time." Zella said, looking to the group. "You said it. He would've been back by now." Keara added. "It's been at least twenty minutes since he left!" Ryou said, taking a glance to his watch. "Maybe he got lost?" Diamond questioned. "That can't be! He's the kind of guy who can tell which street he's on with his nose..." Honda griped, placing a hand to his chin in thought. "Are you trying to say he's a dog...? You know he would probably kill you for calling him that." Diamond said, looking to him.

"What I hope is that he didn't get himself into a duel without telling us. Who knows what will happen." Yugi said.

"Now that might be it! Ever since that duel with Kaiba last night, he's desperate enough to try and prove himself more that he did when he got here! I myself wouldn't put it past him to try and get some more star chips to show us up!" Honda tsked to himself. "Guy's got no self-esteem..." Yugi wrung his hands together and looked to Yami and Aqua. "We got to find him! We need to split up and look for him since he couldn't have gone that far." They nodded. "Aqua, Keara and I will search the skies to get a bird's eye view and see if we can spot him anywhere."

"Ryou, Diamond and I will check the duel boxes!" Honda said. "So that leaves me, Kaiser and Zella to look through the forest!" Yugi said and they all nodded in agreement before separating.

"Jou-kun! Where are you?" Yugi called as they walked through the forest.

"Jou-kun!"

"Hey bro! Come on out now!"

Ryou, Diamond and Honda made it to a duel box and it was empty. "He's not here...let's look for the next one." Diamond said as they left to search for another duel box.

Yami, Keara and Aqua looked down to the forest, their sharp eyes not spotting any familiar mops of blonde hair of Jou.

"Jou-kun! Where are you?"

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Kaiser shouted before sighing. "He's not here either..." he said, looking to Yugi and Zella. _'Oh Jou-kun...where are you?'_ Yugi thought, even more worried about him and where he could be.

* * *

"Axe Raider, huh? Just a plain old common warrior card..nothing for me to worry about..." Kozuka spoke as the axe wielding monster appeared on the field. _'With this field giving my zombie cards an extra power boost, they will tear him apart!'_ He drew his card before picking out Medusa's Ghost. "All right, I'll play this! Prepare for Medusa's Ghost!" he said as he was about to play the monster onto the field. "Hold on." Keith called and Kozuka looked back to him.

"Don't play that card! Play the one on the very left!" Kozuka was confused as he looked to said card. _'Zanki the Samurai? But this isn't a zombie card! It's nothing but a warrior card!'_

"I put that card in your deck. Use it!" he said and Kozuka looked back to him. "But...this card is weaker than Axe Raider! It'll get beaten easily!"

"Just do as I say and you can't go wrong!" Sakate nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Listen to Keith-sama!" he said. "We came this far because of his advice!" Jou snorted as he looked to them. "Hey you! Fight me by yourself and stop asking your friends for help!" Jou said. Kozuka looked to Zanki once more before moving to place the card onto the field. _'I'll trust Keith-sama on this...'_ he thought.

"I play Zanki in attack mode! Attack!" The samurai charged in, katana raised and Axe Raider too jumped into battle. "Axe Raider strikes with Shippu-Giru (Gale Cut)!" Axe Raider gave a shout as he attacked, slicing the monster in half and decreasing Kozuka's life points down to 1800. "Yes! I did it!" Jou cheered and Kozuka growled.

"What's the matter, uncle creepy? Your side's empty! Play your next card!" Kozuka drew his card before picking out on of his zombie monsters. _'What was that all about? This time I'll play a zombie monster...'_ he thought, ready to place one onto the field with Keith called out again.

"No! The second from the left." he said. _'What? Crawling Dragon! This isn't a zombie either! Once its on the field, it will get destroyed!'_

"Don't worry! I have the perfect strategy for you to win. Just trust my awesome intellect! I'm the original undefeatable duelist!" Keith spoke. "Got it..." Kozuka murmured as he placed the earthbound dragon onto the field in defense position. "And I...chop it up!" Jou said as Axe Raider went to attack, sticking the blade right into the top of the dragon's skull, killing it and it disappeared from the field in a cloud of smoke.

"This is a piece of cake!" Jou said happily as Kozuka again drew his card and Keith telling him once again to play a non-zombie monster. "I'll play this! Crass Clown!" The clown appeared with a laugh and Jou huffed as he drew his card. "Go back to the circus, carny! I play the Flame Swordsman!" The warrior appeared onto the field and Jou grinned.

"Toki Enzan Ken! Destroy that clown!" With a fiery slash, the monster was defeated and Kozuka's life points decreased down to 1350. "I can do this! I can win!" Jou cheered again. _'Looking back, I've always turned to Yami for help...I wasn't confident to rely on my own instincts. But not this time! This time, I'll win on my own! I'll overcome my weakness!'_

"Hey, you three! After I beat your friend, why don't you all fight me?" Jou taunted and Keith chuckled as Kozuka was drawing his next card. "Yeah, why don't we?" Keith taunted back and Jou was starting to worry at his tone of voice. Kozuka looked to the card he drew and gasped. "Now I get it! Keith-sama was waiting for me to draw this card!" he said happily. _'Wow...he really is a genius at strategies!'_

"Now, play your trump card!" Keith called.

"'Trump card'?" Jou repeated, worrying starting to show on his face. "Get ready to lose! It's all over with this card!" he spoke. "The rare magic card, Call of the Haunted!"

_'Call of the Haunted? What does that do? Already it sounds bad.'_ Jou thought. Keith chuckled quietly to himself. _'Using cards that are already undead doesn't give you the most out of the graveyard. There's a better way...a way like this!'_ Nothing happened and Jou continued to watch the board with anticipation.

Then, something finally happened. The ground rumbled a bit and then a nearly decomposed claw appeared from the ground. _'W-What...! Something's crawling from the ground...'_ More appeared until Jou realized exactly what they were. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes! Call of the Haunted brings back all my monsters back as unkillable zombies!" Kozuka said. "And not only that, since they're on a graveyard field, they gain the field power bonus from it!" he continued as Dragon Zombie's attack raised to 2080, Clown Zombie to 1755 and Armored Zombie to 1950.

"Go Dragon Zombie! Kill Axe Raider!" With a decrepit roar, Dragon Zombie advanced onto the warrior. "Attack that thing, Axe Raider!" Jou called and Axe Raider slashed at the side of Dragon Zombie's face, leaving a clean gash but as fast as he made the attack, the wound sealed up and Dragon Zombie was back to the way it was.

_'No! That was a clean hit...and the wound healed up!'_ Kozuka laughed as he watched the monster attack. "You can't hurt the undead with your weapons! No matter what you do, they'll always come back ready for more!" he explained. "Now prepare to die! Dragon Zombie, attack with Deadly Zombie Breath!" With a groan, the zombie dragon released a toxic breath that hits Axe Raider and destroyed him easily. Jou let out a wince as his life points decreased to 1620.

"How do you like that? All my monsters that you destroyed are back from the dead...and it's all thanks to Call of the Haunted! You can't beat them! Nothing can destroy them! This is my Army of Darkness!" Kozuka said with glee. _'Great! How can I kill something that's already dead?'_ he thought as he tried to think up a strategy. "C'mon, c'mon! It's your turn! Unless you're scared? Just don't start foaming at the mouth again!"

"What! What do you mean scared?" Jou demanded as he looked to them. "I'm a real duelist and a real duelist doesn't run from dumb zombies! I'll make you foam at the mouth!" Jou hissed as he drew his card before placing one onto the field. "Go Garoozis the Beast-Warrior! Get that clown!" he called as the lizard like warrior appeared onto the field. Kozuka only gave a mild chuckled as the monster attacked. "Insta-kill, Five Point Slash!" The monster slashed his axe into a five pointed star motion, causing Clown Zombie to fall to pieces and Jou grinned happily at his victory.

But it was short lived as Kozuka snickered. "Didn't I tell you? This card is active as long as it's on the board! Rise from your grave, Clown Zombie!" The zombie again rose from the ground, reassembling itself once it was out from the ground. _'It came back to life again!'_ Jou realized with worry.

"And not only that but every time one of my undead is resurrected, its attack powers goes up by 10 percent." he explained as Clown Zombie's attack rose from 1755 to 1890, just enough to destroy Garoozis. "Attack clown! Knife Toss! Acrobatics of Hell!" Kozuka commanded and with a groaning laugh, the clown brought out five knives and threw them at Garoozis and he roared in pain as the knives punctured through his armor, killing him.

Jou gasped as his life points decreased down to 1530._ 'Even if I beat them, they will always come back and stronger than before! How can I fight these guys? With this strategy, is there no way for me to win?'_ he wondered. "Now do you see?" Kozuka questioned with another laugh. "You can't win!" Jou flinched at the words and looked down to his star chips apprehensively. _'If I lose these star chips, I'm good as done. Am I going to lose everything here...?'_ he thought and then the mocking voice of Kaiba replayed in his mind.

_"After this, you'll probably be afraid to duel again!"_

Those words continued to echo and he growled. _'...No, I can't give up now! And I can't lose!'_ He drew his card, more determined than before._ 'I'll believe in myself and I'll win! If I don't, I'll never be able to show my face to Yami or Yugi again. Especially for everything they taught me to prepare for this tournament!'_ he thought.

"I'll stake my life on this card!" he spoke as he glanced upon the card and grinned. _'I can do it!'_ He then looked to the board._ 'I can't fight these zombies with Flame Swordsman...but I might be able to throw them into a time warp using Time Wizard's magic!'_

"Here I go! I summon Time Wizard to the field!" he said, placing the clockwork wizard onto the field. _'Shit! Not that card! I didn't expect him to have it...if he uses the Time Magic, there's a chance the zombies will be killed!'_ Keith thought. "Now go! Time Roulette!" Jou called and Time Wizard lifted up the staff and the spinner started its course. _'Don't let me down, Time Wizard!'_ he thought as he watched the roulette go. All of them watched with bated breath at the outcome and soon, the spinner started to slow. It ticked on the win spot but then it ticked once more, landing on the skull.

"Did I just lose?" Jou shouted in horror. _'What does that mean?'_ A black void started appearing over Jou's monsters and both of them started to be pulled into the vortex. "The magic failed! That means it self-destructs! Both the Time Wizard and Flame Swordsman are sucked away into the vortex to be lost in time!" Keith explained. "No, don't go! Come back!" Jou called, watching as his monsters were taken away and the vortex sealed up.

_'And with that, half of my monsters' attack points are subtracted from my life points...'_ he thought as his life point count went to 630. Kozuka laughed out loud as he watched the spectacle. "That's awesome! He killed himself! And my zombies are unharmed!" he said with glee and Jou sighed.

"All right! Time for you to play another monster. Even if its just another sacrifice to my zombies!" Jou looked to his hand, none of the monsters there a match for Kozuka's zombies._ 'What now? What can I do?'_ he thought as he played his monster. "I play Demon Hunter Kojikocy in defense!" he said.

"Kill him, Dragon Zom-" Kozuka started by Keith called out to him. "Wait! It's in defense mode. Jounouchi won't get hurt with you beat it. Now's your chance to draw a new card and beef up our zombie army even more!" Keith explained and Jou snarled angrily as he pointed to him.

"Hey you! Kibitzer! Mr. "I know everything about Duel Monsters"! Who are you anyway?" he demanded. "Who, me? My name's Keith...Bandit Keith! I don't expect people to know me in Japan, but in the U.S., I'm a top-ranked prize hunter!" he explained. _'Bandit Keith? I heard that name somewhere before...! No way!'_ he thought before realizing exactly who he was.

"You're the prize hunter who fought Pegasus! Ruby told me all about you!" Jou said in shock. _'They call him a "Card Professor"! Pegasus was the only person ever to beat him as Ruby told us! If he's helping out these guys...them I never had a chance to beat him in the first place!'_

"Just give up! It's your tough luck you had to play us! I'm teaching these guys the perfect strategies for their duels. You don't have a prayer to save you in this battle." Keith spoke. "Yeah! And after you lose, tell your pal, Yami...that us four are going to the castle!" Sakate said, laughing along with Takaido.

"And lemme tell you this, after I beat someone, they never play Duel Monster-or any card game-ever again! You know why? Because I beat them so bad, the mere sight of a card will bring back the horrible flashbacks that cripple them to the point where they break down in tears!" Keith said, laughing.

"Me too! I'll make you so "Farewell" to your cards forever!" Kozuka spoke. "Now! Play the Ghost King, Kozuka!" Keith called. "On it! Meet the Ghost King, the monster that is another stepping stone towards your demise!" he said as he placed the monster onto the field and with another decrepit groan, a shadow of the monster started to rise behind the three zombie monsters.

_'What the...! What is that!'_ Jou thought as the monster appeared fully. "Pumpking! The King of Ghosts! Lord of the Undead! His body is nothing but a giant sac of ectoplasm, the fuel of evil spirits! Every turn, he'll feed them energy, raising their attack by 10 percent!"

_'E-Every turn...!'_ The monster gave another groan as three of its tentacles dug into the backs of the zombies. "Now, give them your power!" The monster did as commanded, pumping the ectoplasm into the zombies, causing them to grow as their attack raised. "Attack, Dragon Zombie! Deadly Zombie Breath!" The zombiefied dragon roared as he again let loose the toxic breath, more powerful compared to before with its attack now at 2240.

"No way! I play another card in defense!" Jou called as he placed the monster onto the field, knowing that there isn't a thing he can do now. "It's my turn again and that means...the zombie's attack power goes up again!" Kozuka said as they grew again and Dragon Zombie's attack reached 2400.

"Deadly Zombie Breath!" Again, the toxin breath hit Jou's Armored Lizard, destroying it easily. "Wow Keith-sama...your strategy was perfect! Turning my monsters into zombies using Call of the Haunted...and using Pumpking to raise their attack power infinitely! There's no way how this punk can beat me now!" Kozuka said. Jou growled as he placed another card onto the field. "I play Glassman in defense!"

"No, it's not perfect just yet...the combo won't be complete until you draw the Stop Defense card from the deck! Then it'll be all over!" Again with another attack from the extremely powerful Dragon Zombie destroys his monster. _'It's hopeless now...there's no way how I an win!'_ he thought, looking down in defeat._ 'Yugi...Yami...I need your help if I'm to make it through this somehow...'_

Like a shock, Yugi gasped as if he heard Jou's thoughts and looked around._ 'Jou-kun! Where are you?'_ he thought. From above, Yami snarled as he too felt the pang of defeat from Jou and waved to Aqua and Keara before descending down to where Yugi, Kaiser and Zella stood. They landed and soon Ryou, Diamond and Honda showed up.

"We can't find him anywhere." Yugi said and then looked to Yami. "Is there anything else you can do?" he asked hopefully. Yami thought for a second before nodding. "There is one." he said as he closed his eyes, concentrating. The puzzle glowed faintly as a faint image started to appear in the mind's eye.

_'A cave...'_ he thought, the first thing he started to see and concentrated harder to pinpoint Jou's location. Soon, he was able to spot the duel box that he was in and opened his eyes. "I found him!" he said and Yugi smiled happily. "Oh, Yami! Thank you!" He smiled down to him, nodding before weaving his magic to create a shadow bird and using what he gained from the puzzle, the bird flew off, leading the way. "Come on! It will lead us to him!" he said and they all pursued the bird. _'Don't give up, Jou! There's always a way to win...no matter how bad it looks!'_ he thought.

_"No matter how bad!"_ The thought echoed and Jou's eyes widened. _'Yami! He must've felt that I was in trouble!'_ he thought and then smiled. _'I'm glad to have a demon on my side. And with his reassurance, I'll find a way to win!'_

They continued to follow the bird, getting closer and closer to the cavern. "How did you figure out where he was?" Honda questioned. "A vision flashed in my mind's eye and it showed me that Jou is somewhere underground!" Yami said as the bird came upon a opening leading underground. "And there's our entrance." he finished as the bird flew inside and they followed behind it. _'We're coming, Jou! Just hold on!'_

* * *

"Deadly Zombie Breath!" Glassman was easily destroyed like all of his monsters beforehand. _'This can't be the end? There's gotta be some way I can win! But how!'_ he thought as he placed Tiger Axe into defense mode. "Heh...it looks bad for you, doesn't it? Every turn you defend, my zombies get stronger and stronger! And eventually you will run out of cards and lose the duel that way!" Kozuka spoke.

"You lose! Just give up to save yourself the trouble!" he finished. _'He's right...I'm just drawing out the duel...I may not remember half the cards in my deck but I do know the monsters in my hands aren't strong enough to take down those zombies. His monsters get stronger each turn and I don't have any choice but to keep defending!'_

_'How long can you delay the end, kid?'_ Keith thought. _'I put Stop Defense in Kozuka's deck...once he draws that, the ultimate combo will be complete and you'll lose!'_ Kozuka laughed as he drew a new card and laughed even more. "Finally! I drew Stop Defense!" he said happily. _'Oh no! Not that card!'_ Jou thought, any chance of winning now out of his mind. _'We won...'_ Keith thought, a smirk once again on his face.

"I'm playing Stop Defense face down on the board...when you call out defense, I'll flip it up and activate it, preventing you from hiding behind defense mode anymore!" he said, placing the card onto the field. "And now for my attack! But first, Pumpking, give them more ectoplasm and make them even stronger!" Kozuka said and again, the zombies grew as more ectoplasm was given to them, Clown Zombie's attack now at 2565, Armored Zombie at 2700 and Dragon Zombie, as the strongest zombie on the field, with 2880. "Yes! Go Dragon Zombie! Nothing can destroy you! Do what zombies do best - break through their pathetic defenses! Deadly Zombie Breath!"

With another toxic breath assault, Tiger Axe was defeated. "It's over, Jounouchi, or however you pronounce it! The trap card is waiting for _you_! The game's over the moment you say defense!"

"Yeah! What he said! Now hurry up and draw...and end your suffering! This is it!" Kozuka said, chuckling as the moment to his victory came closer. _'What can I do? Yami...your advice is so needed right now...'_ Jou thought.

* * *

"Jou-kun! Where are you?" Diamond called as they continued to run, the bird still flying about but with all the tunnels in the cave, it was hard for it to figure where the pinpointed location was. "This cave is like a maze! The path forks off again!" Honda said angrily as they stopped and looked to the two paths.

_'We have to find him! He has to be in here somewhere but where is the problem!'_ he thought. Ryou examined a path. "It's a dead end over here!" he called and Zella walked a slight ways before her foot kicked at a skull buried in the ground. She looked down to see what she hit and screamed. "S-Skulls! And they look real! W-Where are we?"

"I don't know but I know one thing, the stench of corpses is really messing with our senses and that's why I can't find a trace of Jou's scent in this cave." Aqua said. "Crud! There's no way Jou's ok if he's dueling in a place like this! He's probably fighting some cannibal caveman or something!" Honda said as he looked around for any sign of where they should go.

Yami snorted angrily, sniffing the air again despite what Aqua said, knowing that Yugi wanted to know that his friend was safe and he wasn't going to let him worry anymore. _'Don't give up, Jou! If you rid yourself of doubt, a light will shine into the cave of your heart! Remember the promise we made!'_ he thought.

Back with Jou, a memory flashed back into his mind.

_"Let's go to the kingdom as duelists! To save Yugi's jii-chan and your sister!" Yami told him and he nodded._

With that, Jou's will to fight burned brightly once again. "Yami's right! I won't give up...not as long as I can lift these cards..." He then looked to Kozuka who was waiting for his next and supposedly final move. "I have something to protect that's important to me and no skull-face little creep is going to ruin that for me!" he spoke out with more determination as he drew his card and looked to it. "Sweet! I drew my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jou said with a grin and Keith was surprised to hear that.

_'What...! The fucking Red-Eyes! Where'd this kid get such a rare card?'_ he thought. "Heh...now that I've come this far, I can't run away just because of this duel...if I can't use my cards to defend, I'll go out in a blaze of glory!" he said, placing the card onto the field and the black dragon materialized, a deafening roar echoing through the field.

"Go, Red-Eyes! Destroy the Pumpking with Black Fire Bullet!" A red and black fireball gathered in the dragon's jaws before letting it fly towards the ghost king and in a blaze of fire, Pumpking went up in smoke, causing Kozuka's life points to decreased down to 900.

He gasped mentally as he watched his monster be destroyed. _'He got Pumpking...and because it was already undead, he can't come back by the effect of Call of the Haunted!'_ Jou grinned as the smoke disappeared from the field. "Yes! Now your zombies can't get any bigger and tougher! The attack point express stops here!" he said.

"Feh..you idiot...they're already powerful enough to kill you, though! My turn!" he said, drawing his card. "Dragon Zombie, counterattack! Destroy the Black Dragon!" he said and the smog of toxic breath gathered in the rotten jaws of the monster before letting the attack loose and Red-Eyes roared as it was defeated.

_'They got my best card! I'm don't for now!'_ he thought, his life points decreasing to a mere 150. "It's over, Jounouchi!" Keith said with a laugh. _'What can I do? I only have three cards in my hand...out of all of them, only one is a monster and a weak one at that. Even if I play all my card onto Ultimator, he still can't beat those zombies...and I can't play him into defense or I'll trigger that trap card...is this finally the end?'_

"C'mon! Like they said in the wild west-Draw! Play a card and die, loser!" A spark of anger showed in Jou's eyes at the word. _'Did you said 'loser'?'_ he growled as his anger flared._ 'Don't call me that...I'm not...I'm not a **loser**!'_ He picked up the next card and saw it was Shield and Sword.

_'What the...? A magic card that switches the attack and defense points of all the monsters on the board...?'_ Jou then got an idea. _'Wait a sec...his monsters all have high attack points but maybe, just maybe...I'll have to try it! it's my last gamble!'_ he thought.

"Here I go! I play this card in attack mode!" he said as he played Kung Fu Fighter Ultimator (Battle Warrior if I'm right of the card name from the anime). "And for my big finale...I use this magic card, Shield and Sword! I reverse every card's attack and defense!" he finished as he placed the card onto the field and Keith gasped. _'What! Shield and Sword!'_

"Eh?" Kozuka looked to his monsters and realized they look like they were becoming weaker ever with their hulking forms of rotting flesh from their increased attack points. _'Oh no! What happened to their attack points!'_ he thought as he noticed now their attack were 0 while their defense was their previous attack points.

_'The undead can't be killed of by a head on attack...but they don't have brains! They never bother to protect themselves so they can only attack by instinct! In other words, their defense points is zero! And now that punk switch the defense and offense using that card...their attack is zero!' _Keith thought.

Kozuka gulped in fear as he realized what was going to happen. _'And they're all still in attack mode...!'_

"It's not just your monster that are affected by mine as well." Jou said as Ultimator's attack switched from 700 to 1000. "Go back to the movies, you zombie freak!" he called.

"Go Ultimator! Attack the Dragon Zombie with Ultimate Screw Knuckle!"

The monster charged in for battle and Dragon Zombie roared as it raised up on its haunches, ready to attack as well but with no attack points, it couldn't do a thing and with a mighty blow, Ultimator punched the monster square in the jaw, destroying him. "Kozuka, you fucking moron! You lost!" Keith hissed angrily. Kozuka looked defeated, slumping down in his seat as his monsters disappeared from the board as his life points hit zero.

_'Did I just win after everything I just went through...?'_

After scouring more tunnels, Yugi spotted a duel box and pointed towards it. "Hey! There's a duel box over there!" he called and they all made their way towards it and were glad to see Jou inside that very duel box. "Jou-kun!" Zella called. "He's looks spaced out...does that mean he lost to whoever he went against?" Honda questioned. Aqua ran over to the box and looked to him.

"Jou! Jounouchi! What happened?" he called. Jou let out a soft breath before looking to him. "What the...? You guys made it!" He took another breath before speaking again. "Aqua...I...I won on my own...! It was luck again but..." Aqua cut him off, smiling.

"That doesn't matter, you did it!" he spoke, giving a thumbs up joyfully. Jou grinned, returning the gesture as he collected his star chips and left out the duel box, now having eight.

* * *

-Zypher: And that's it for this chapter. Sorry for the extremely long wait but I did have a cold for a few days this week so that hindered my progress with getting this chapter out on the day I wanted to have it up but here it is and I hoped you all enjoyed. Now time for another page from the Big Book of Duel Monsters. Enjoy.

(And since I'm gonna bet you will be wondering who they were as you read the chapter, Sakate is Zygore's Japanese name and Takaido is Sid's Japanese name)

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's Deck-

"Ugh! I think I'll never stop smelling like rotten flesh for a while!" Ohtar groaned as he and Garoozis started making their way to the bath house. The duel with zombies let a crawling feeling up their skin and they wanted to rid of it quickly. "And you think I had it easy. The next time a see a clown, I'll rid of it as fast as possible." Garoozis spoke.

"I wonder how long it will be before Fier and Kuruvar get back. Heard the Time Magic failed so they're floating through a vortex of time now." Ohtar said as they made to the bath house and started to part ways to head into separate changing rooms to change into some shorts to wear into the spring.

"Yep. I heard the same thing. This is the first time Kuruvar's Time Magic failed to help Jou-sama." Garoozis said as they came out with towels wrapped around their waists and they headed over to the hot spring and walked into the warm waters after discarding their towels.

"But even if he failed, at least Jou-sama was able to come back. And hopefully he learned a good lesson that even weaker monster can help out when they're needed. Not only us strong ones." he finished and Ohtar nodded in agreement.

"I wonder how Akai is doing? That powerful excuse for a zombie must've done some major damage to her." Garoozis said and they heard the flapping of wings as Akai landed on the stone outcropping around the spring. /"Nope, I'm perfectly fine but at the moment, I feel like I want to shed my scales just to get rid of the icky feeling of being attack by zombie breath."/

Garoozis shuddered as well. "Join the club. I feel the same way after being attack by knives thrown by a zombie but a soothing dip in the spring works better for me." Akai chuckled before getting a thought and entered the pool as well, resting at the end by the outcropping, sighing. /"You're right, this is better."/ Akai purred, closing her eyes.

The two warriors chuckled before moving to sit on both sides of the dragon. "So, how are you enjoying the deck so far?" Ohtar asked. /"I love it here. There's so many things I could do here compared to Ryuzaki's deck and Laito hasn't wasted time showing me some of the things he loves to do."/ Akai explained.

"Hopefully that doesn't include messing with Gilta." Garoozis spoke with a laugh. Akai laughed as well. /"Yes, he says that was his favorite past time."/ she told them and they laughed again. "Man, if Gilta hears that, he will probably try to hide somewhere so Laito won't be able to find him but I'm sure that little bundle of energy will find him somehow."

They laughed some more before a portal opened up in the air and Kuruvar along with Fier fell into the spring with a yelp. Akai moved her tail, helping the wizard and warrior from the water and Fier coughed out a little water, hanging onto Akai's tail. "Kuruvar, you never told me those portals will open up in random places in the Shadow Realm." Fier said with a pout.

"Be happy we ended up back here. We could've ended up in any other deck or some random place in the Shadow Realm and then we would've had to trek all the way back here." Kuruvar spoke as he floated over to the edge of the spring and stood there. "I do feel bad that I failed in my roulette. Jounouchi-sama looked like he would've needed my help with the way those zombies looked."

"Don't mourn about that. Jou-sama was still able to win." Ohtar said. Kuruvar let out a small sigh. "That's good to hear." Kuruvar said. Fier climbed out from the spring and looked down to his soaked clothing. "I'm gonna head back inside and change. I guess I'll see you all later." They nodded before the fire warrior left, trailing water behind him. "I'm going to head back to my room myself. Goodbye for now." Kuruvar said as he too left. After they were gone, the two warriors and dragon talked with one another for a little while longer, the duel long forgotten.

* * *

Zypher: Ok, this felt like it was short but now I'm starting to fall asleep in my chair now so I did the best I could think of with half my mind shutting down on me. Hope you like and I'll get started on the next chapter soon enough. See you soon.

Kuruvar - Elven for Wizard (there was about three more translations for it as well but I went with the best one since I just now realized I forgot to give Time Wizard a name.)


	11. Battle in the Labyrinth for Freedom

Zypher: Welcome all! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so its time for another chapter so here you are and enjoy as always.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 11

* * *

After the amazing duel between Jou and Kozuka, he was now able to gain eight star chips, only two away before he had enough to enter the castle. "Oh man, you guys should've seen it! My one-shot deadly combo!" Jou exclaimed.

Honda nodded. "Eight star chips. Wasn't expecting you to actually make it up to eight, especially with so many strong duelists left."

"It sounds like it went great! Even if it was mostly luck..." Diamond said, smiling brightly. Honda placed a hand to his chin in thought. "This streak of good luck is something you should really think about, man...do you ever worry that, since you came to this island, you've used up your good luck for your whole life?" he questioned and Jou blanched.

"What! That can't be!" he said. Yami watched him, even though Jou looked ready to pummel Honda into the dirt, a small smile was on his face.

_'Jou-kun's wins can't be put down to something small like 'luck or 'miracles'...the desperation to win...the concern for his burden...that's the true strength of a duelist! A duelist just after Jii-chan's heart and the tutelage from us both.'_ he thought. Bandit Keith and the others started making their way out the cave

"Fuck...let blow this taco stand." Keith muttered as they started to walk off but wasn't able to sneak off just as easy. Jou glanced over to them before turning to them fully. "Wait! Bandit Keith!" he called and Keith turned to him, glasses hiding the glare aimed at him.

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise. _'Bandit Keith? The prize hunter who used to be famous in America? What could've brought him here?'_ he wondered. Honda was also surprised but not because of the fact it was Bandit Keith. "Jou...you got into a fight with these guys...?"

"No...it wasn't like I accepted their challenge..." he started. "They shanghaied me and dragged me here! Like a pack of hyenas chasing their prey! They even punched me at least once!" he explained, eyes still trained on Keith. "Bandit Keith, if you call yourself a duelist, why don't you play fair next time?" he said and Keith sneered.

"Fuck you! Don't tell me how to play, you damn kid!" he said before smirking. "Did you say 'play fair'? Don't make me laugh! Card games are about outwitting your opponent! And that starts before the game begins! So don't go talking about shit you don't know nothing about!" Smirk still on his face, he continued.

"Tell me you're faking, Jounouchi! Why don't you stop playing the nice guy act? Do that and the prizes and glory will come your way! Just like me." As he finished, he pulled open his jacket, revealing the dueling decks he had stashed away. "No way! H-He's got a ton of cards under his jacket!" Jou exclaimed.

"That's right! Dragon decks, warrior decks, machine decks...and they've all got a dozen of rare cards. I've got a deck to beat any poor sucker who fights me!" Keith spoke. "Hey Bandit Keith...isn't there a rule that you can only bring forty cards to the island?" Yami questioned.

"Yeah! You were allowed to trade cards on the boat...but when we got to the island, they checked everyone's decks and confiscated any extra cards." Zella added. "Damn! Let me break it to you slowly-I'm not officially in this tournament. And that means the rules don't apply to me!" he replied. Jou growled. _'What a jerk...! He must've snuck onto the island just so he could get the prize money like the prize hunter he is!'_ he thought.

"I only have one rule for this tournament...I'll do whatever it takes to get to Pegasus castle! And let me warn you...no bunch of little kids will hold me back!" he said before walking off, leaving the group of three that was with him behind him and they ran to catch up. "Bandit Keith!" Keara called, arms crossed and he stopped. "The Duelists' Pride is the rule on this island! You can't learn that then you aren't a true duelist." she said and Keith only laughed. "Don't make me laugh with logic like that. Oh wait, you already did!" he said, laughing more as they continued their way out of the cavern.

"Man...that creep!" Jou sneered. _'"I'm going to beat you!" That's what I want to say to him so badly but he's too strong for me now...I've got to get stronger and stronger so one day, I will beat him!' _he thought. "Well, we best get out of here ourselves. No need to stay down here any longer." Aqua said and they nodded as they started making their way through the caves again. "Yeah...I hate dark places." Jou muttered. As they walked, Jou looked down to Yami. "Hey, Yami! You've got six star chips and I have eight...maybe if we win out next duels, we'll both have ten so we can enter the castle!"

"Yeah! We'll finish our search with our next duel!"

Jou smiled widely. "You got it!" They soon reached another fork in the path. "Ok...I think the exit's this way." Zella said, pointing off to the right. "Yeah, we take a right here, I think." Ryou added. They went along the path and it was a few minutes before they saw the light of the outside. "There it is! The way out!" Jou said as he started to run towards the exit. "Yee haw! Oh sunlight! Lemme feel your warm embrace!" he exclaimed but then saw something being pushed in front of the cave mouth. "What the...!"

Whatever it was continued to cover up the entrance and from the outside, Keith kept ordering Sakate, Kozuka and Takaido to place the boulder in front of the entrance. "C'mon, put some muscle into it!" Sakate groaned as they continued to move the heavy boulder. "This is the only way out of the caves! They might just be stuck down there forever and become part of the dead just like those soldiers!" Keith said, laughing all the while before walking over and looked through the tiny opening left. "Yo, losers!" he said, grinning.

"Bandit Keith! What are you up to?" Jou demanded. "If the Law of the Island is to win with duels...then my law is to win like this! Now that I'm this close to entering the castle, you guys are just in my way...so you can stay here in the grave! Game over for you! But I'm sure somebody will eventually find you...of course, it may take a few years!" Yami snarled in anger and with a glance over to Aqua, they were ready to jump up to prevent the boulder from sealing the entrance but Jou held an arm up. "Just wait a sec, I have something to tell this scumbag." he said and Yami nodded.

"Bandit Keith!" he hissed, looking to him. "I'm going to beat you once I get out of here!" Keith only laughed again. "Scream all you like! Later 'champ'!" he said before leaving away from the crack and once he was gone, both Yami and Aqua shifted into their demon forms and leapt towards the entrance and started to pry it open.

Outside, they gave a yelp as they started to slide back. Keith saw this and snarled. "Get that boulder in front of the entrance now!" he commanded. "We are! They're pushing back!" Takaido said as they all tried to get the boulder into place but their feet started to slide back, bringing up dirt and dust along the way.

Keith looked through the crack that was slowly widening and saw only deadly crimson and cerise eyes like two beasts trying to claw out from their imprisonment. _'No way...Kozuka couldn't be right about that whole demon thing, can he?'_ he wondered before he ran over towards the boulder and helped push but it was only doing so much.

"Come on, Yami! Aqua! You're much more powerful than them!" Yugi called just as Jou, Kaiser and Honda ran up to help push the boulder up as well. It was a test of strength as both side continued to push the boulder, one trying to seal up the entrance while the other tried to get the boulder out of the way. Keith knew they wouldn't possibly have a chance and looked around before spotting a few good sized pebbles on the ground.

He smirked and grabbed a handful before looking towards the crack, aiming to hit right between the eyes. He let one fly and it hit the mark, Aqua's roar of pain heard and he stepped back, rubbing his face as if he got burning ashes thrown into it. "Aqua! Are you alright?" Yugi said worriedly as he ran over to him.

Another roar was heard and Yami backed off, rubbing the spot between his eyes and with the lost of force on their side, the boulder was soon stuck over the entrance. "Come on, speed it up and place some more rocks over the boulder so whoever was putting off the strength can't even get it out!" Keith demanded and quickly, the three started placing rock after rock around the boulder.

_'You no-good jerk!'_ Was Jou's thought as he glared upon the boulder now blocking their way out. _'I'm gonna get you even if I have to dig my way out! Just you wait!'_ He looked over to Yami and Aqua who were snarling in anger as they tried to rid of the pain still felt from the hard thrown pebbles. "Are they alright?" he asked, looking down to Yugi. "We're fine but when I get my hands on him, I will rip him in half, literally!" Yami hissed as he cracked one eye open to look back to the boulder. "But right now, we need to get that thing out of our way."

Back outside, Kozuka, Takaido and Sakate slumped against the wall after stacking enough rocks to keep the boulder from budging. "I can't move anymore..." Takaido whispered. "Do you think that was too much...?" Kozuka questioned as he and Sakate made a move to stand. Keith only laughed as his answer before looking to them.

"Now...the next order of business..." Like the strike of a snake, Keith's foot flew out, making contact with Kozuka's chest and causing him to fly back onto the ground. "You little shit! Thanks for losing to that newbie-!" he said angrily. Kozuka coughed as he looked up to Keith.

"B-But...I just...played the cards how you told me..." he whispered and flew back again with another well placed kick. "Then why'd you lose, you moron?" Sakate and Takaido, who got up after regaining some of his strength, and winced as they saw Keith mercilessly beating down Kozuka. "Ptui! You lost your star chips...now you aren't good for anything! Just die so your face can amount to something scary!" he said, turning his back to him and Kozuka raised a hand out to him weakly. "K-Keith-sama..."

No caring about him, he looked to Sakate and Takaido. "Hey, you two! How many star chips do you have?" he questioned. "I have five..." Sakate said as he looked to his glove. "So do I..." Takaido added. Keith smirked wickedly. "I see...so there's enough for one person?" he whispered. "Then I'll be taking those star chips from you both!"

"What the...! Why our star chips?" Sakate demanded. "Listen up, you little nerds! Do you know the only reason you got this far? Isn't it because of me, Bandit Keith?" he said and they knew he was right so silently, they took out their star chips and handed them to Keith. "All right... that's a good boy...now give me the glove with the ring!" he demanded and Takaido handed him his duel glove.

Keith placed it on before placing the star chips into the slots. _'Now then...they gone and lived out the usefulness...right on schedule...'_ he thought with a smirk. _'I collected ten star chips without soiling my hands in a stupid duel! I'm coming for you, Pegasus! Don't think that I have forgotten how you humiliated me at the tournament with that kid in the crowd.'_

Again, there was punches and kicks here before Keith left Sakate and Takaido to writhe on the ground with Kozuka. "I'm the first one to the castle!" he said, laughing as he walked towards the castle.

* * *

In the cave, Jou, Honda, Ryou, Yami, Aqua and Yugi tried to move the rock but it was harder to get it to budge. It was move partly but after that, it wouldn't move anymore even with Yami and Aqua's demonic strength. "Alright, this has gone on long enough." Aqua said. "Stand back, everyone." he spoke and they back off from the boulder.

He took a deep breath before unleashing a wave of black flame at the boulder. The boulder only move a fraction more than before and Yami added his own power to help move the boulder but it didn't work, not even to, at least, crack the boulder apart.

Another few minutes went by before they stopped and Aqua slumped to the floor, chest heaving and Yugi walked over to him. "Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He took more deeps breaths before shaking his head. "My power...it must be weak since I haven't ate for a while." Aqua whispered. "Then why didn't you tell us? We have plenty of food!" Honda said as he took the bag from Zella and started to rummage through. "No...not regular food..." he said and Honda stopped. "Then what?"

Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh! We forgotten! He hasn't had at least one meal of flesh ever since we came to the island. The last time he actually had one was when they dealt with Inogashira for destroying our carnival booth." he said in shock. "So that's how the booth got restored." Jou murmured before looking down to him. "So what are we going to do? There's surely no other people in this cave except for us. We can't move that boulder. And I'm sure he isn't going to chow down on age old meat that could be left on these bones." Jou listed off before looking to Yami.

"And what about you?"

"Well, I did have a meal. That Player Killer that took Mai's star chips so I was fine then but whenever we consume flesh and souls, its added to our overall energy and I burned up a lot of that energy from that meal to use my shadow power to locate you, Jou. That's why I was weak as well. So if you all were wondering why the boulder didn't at least blow apart, that's why." Yami explained.

"I guess we'll just have to see if there's another way out. If Pegasus would place a duel box down here, there's has to be a place where you can leave out if not from the main entrance." Yugi said and they nodded as they started to walk back along the path, Honda taking out the lantern that was in the bag before they went any further.

As they walked, Yugi looked to Keara. "Now that I wonder, why didn't you use your magic or abilities as a dragon?" he asked. "So your friends won't be asking questions. I would've gladly used my powers but I want to wait for the right time to reveal more about myself and now's not the time. We need to focus more on getting out of here than to answer questions." she said and he nodded as they continued along the way until they came back to the fork on the path. "Ok, the passage to the left leads to the duel box, but after that it's nothing but dead ends. If we were on the surface, the right path will go in the direction of the castle..." Ryou said.

"Really, Ryou? You got a good sense of..." Honda started as he looked over to him but saw he had the Ring out which was pointing to the right. "...Oh, you used that creepy Ring..." He nodded. Yami looked over to him, feeling some power emanating from it and like the blink of an eye, Ryou's eyes dulled and a short chuckle floating through the air was heard by him before his eyes returned to normal.

_'What could Bakura be up to?'_ he wondered before they started to go down the right path. "As long as the Sennen Ring keeps working, we shouldn't get lost in here." Aqua said and they continued down the path, glad for the lantern Mai had left for them.

Another few minutes went by and they wondered if there ever was an end to the tunnel. "We've gone pretty far already...and since the start of the path, I haven't seen any way out yet." Honda said. "Yeah, and the path's getting narrower as we walk." Jou added. They looked around them before realizing the walls started to look different.

"Hey, a while back the wall was all bumpy...now they're smoothed out like a regular stone wall." Yugi examined. It didn't take them long, seeing as Honda came up across Zella around another corner, to realize they were in a maze.

"Where did this maze come from?" Zella wondered as they started to find a path that led out and found themselves in a large room with a table set in the middle and four chair around it. "What the...! What is this place?" Kaiser exclaimed as they looked around.

Yami's ears flicked before looking around. "Someone's here!" he spoke and soon, two people came from the shadows, doing back flips and one huge midair flip, landing beside each other. "What are these guys? They look like they came out of some Hong Kong movie!" Jou exclaimed.

"We are the Guardians of the Dungeon..." One spoke

"...The Meikyu Brothers!" The other finished.

_'The Meikyu Brothers?'_ Jou thought, a dumbfounded look on his face. "Hmm, what do we have here, brother? Ten travelers lost in the maze?"

"Who knows, brother? It wouldn't be a maze if people didn't get lost!" Yami looked to them before seeing the duel gloves around their wrists. _'They have duel gloves! Could they be player killers?'_ he wondered. "Have you come to ask us, lost travelers...to find the right path..."

"The right door..."

Taking a pose, they both looked to the group again. "To find the answer..." They pointed over to the duel table. "...you must face us in a duel!" They both said in sync. /Of course! They have to be player killers if they're wearing duel gloves and this place being down here./ Yugi said to Yami and Aqua. "So that explains the table. And just like the actual room...there's two doors down on the table." Jou spoke. The two brothers watched them before speaking once more. "Now...will two duelists please step forward! This duel will be a unorthodox two-on-two fight!"

"Two on two? A Duel Monsters tag team match?" Yugi questioned curiously. "Yes. Beat us and you will learn the right way..." The first spoke. "...But run away and you will be lost in the darkness forever!"

Yami snorted before looking over to Jou. "Jou-kun...sounds like we've got no choice!" Yami said. "Yeah! Bring it on, Mario Brothers!" Jou said, pulling out his deck. _'If we don't win this duel, we can't get out of these tunnels!'_ Yami thought pulling out his own deck. "Then enter...The labyrinth field!" They both spoke again and they both went to sit down. _'So this is the labyrinth field...but where the labyrinth?'_ Yami thought questioningly as he placed his shuffled deck onto the table then looked to the board. _'In the back are two doors labeled "Mei" and "Kyu"...so the Meikyu Brothers each guard one of these doors.'_

/From what I see, I'm guessing you already figured out one of them each guard a door so that must mean one of them leads to the surface so you'll have to beat them so we can get out of here./ Yugi said.

/I will. And once we deal with them, we can have them for a quick meal since we'll get our last few star chips from them so we can enter the castle./ Yami said back and Yugi nodded. "Wager your star chips!" They both spoke. "I'll bet two!" Jou spoke as he took out two of his star chips. "And I'll bet four...a total of six!" Yami said as he placed his wager of chips down onto the table. "Lets do it, Jou-kun! If we win this duel, we'll have enough star chips so we can go to the castle!" Jou grinned and nodded. "You bet!"

On the other side, the two brothers chuckled to themselves. _'Not so fast...! We are the player killers of the labyrinth! By the orders of Pegasus-sama, we'll make sure your journey ends here!'_

"Duel Start!"

They drew their cards and Kyu took the first turn. "I go first! And I'll play this card!" He said, placing Labyrinth Wall onto the field and a sound was heard before walls started to rise up out of the ground. _'Now this is truly an unknown duel!'_ Yami thought in surprised. "This is the labyrinth field! Just try and get to the doors now!" They said and Yami snarled.

"Looks like this duel is turning out harder than we thought." Yami said and Jou nodded in agreement. _'If we can't beat them, we'll be trapped in this dungeon until Pegasus decided to let us out...which could be never. Everyone's life is riding on this match and one slip up may cost us the duel.'_ Yami thought.

"Now that my first turn is done, let me explain the new rules. All four players have 2000 life points each. But your life is tied to your partner's! If one partner loses all his life points, both partners die - and both lose!" Kyu explained. _'Great! If I lose, I'll never be able to face Yami ever again...!'_ Jou thought with worry. "We alternate turns, one player on each team. And now about this labyrinth field..." Kyu continued.

"...We shall explain how to play!" Mei finished. "To make it simple, think of your monsters as chess pieces. If the card's in attack mode, it can advance as many space per turn as the number of stars shown on its card." Mei explained.

"If you can survive the dungeon and beat us gatekeepers, you can open one of the two doors!"

"But which door will you choose?" Mei gave a smirk. "Mei, the door of deception...? Or Kyu, the door of the palace...?"

"So, only one of the doors leads to the surface...? Which door do we head for?" Jou questioned, looking over to Yami who was silent through the explanation. "Of course, we will each do our very best to guard our door!" Kyu spoke. "We are the gatekeepers of the dungeon after all!" Mei added. "Hey, wait a second! You're playing with our lives here! So even if we win, there's still a 50-50 chance we survive? That's stupid! At least give us a clue which one's the right door!" Jou shouted.

"Very well..." They both spoke at the same time. "Then from now on...one of us will always tell the truth..." Kyu started.

"...And one of us will always lie!" Mei finished, both sporting grins on their faces. Yami's eyes narrowed as he looked closely to them both. "That better be the truth..." he whispered, just audible enough to be heard by them. "Of course it is!" Kyu answered but Yami wasn't convinced. "Now that we established that, let me give you a little friendly advice...my Kyu door is the correct door!" Kyu spoke.

"No, no, no...my Mei door is the correct door!" Mei countered, both of them chuckling afterward. Yami looked to them both once more while Jou looked confused. _'Which one is telling the truth?...Wait a sec! I remember I've heard a riddle like this before!'_ he thought in realization.

_'I think it went like this..."A man stood at the crossroads between Honest Town and Liar Town. A villager came to the crossroads but the man didn't know which village he was from...The man wanted to go to Honest Town, but he could only ask one question..."'_ Jou thought, directing the thought to Yami who was intrigued by his idea.

_'And what question did he ask?'_ he transferred back.

_'He said "Take me to your town!" If he's honest, he'll take you to back to his own town! But if he's a liar, he'll take you to the other town...Honest Town!'_ Yami nodded, seeing he was going somewhere with the riddle but also knew there was a fatal flaw in it as well.

"Hey, you guys! You gotta answer our questions!" Jou said and they both nodded. "Very well..." Kyu spoke. "We will each answer one question from each of you." Mei finished. "All right! If one of the doors is the right one...take us to your town!...I mean, your door!" Jou said. _'Now the honest guy and the liar will both point to the same door! And we'll know who the liar is!'_

As Jou suspected, Both Mei and Kyu pointed to Kyu's door. Jou laughed in triumph. "Did you see that! Kyu is the right door! Mei is the liar! It's easy now that we know which door to go to!" Jou said but Yami wasn't convinced. Jou looked to him and saw that he looked like he didn't agree with what he said.

"What's wrong, Yami? I got it right...right?" Jou asked. "Depending on how you look at it, you question is logically correct...but! Should we heed their words at face vault?" he said, chuckling under his breath. "I'm a very cautious demon and when it concern of the lives around me, I won't truly believe everything that is said unless there's a flaw that will reveal the truth." he finished. "What do you mean? If one's honest and the other's a liar, they should've answered the question..." Jou stated.

"No...what I'm saying it that it's dangerous to compare our current situation with the "Honest Town riddle"! First of all, in the riddle, there's only one villager...but we face two villagers! Our two villagers told us "One always tells the truth and one of us always lies." But that in itself is suspicious. If one of them is a liar, both of them should claim to be the honest one. There's also a possibility that both of them are liars and we shouldn't believe either of them!"

_'Whoa! Glad that he straighten that out or else I may have been the one to get us stuck down here!'_ Jou thought. "So, in other words..." Jou started.

"It's not certain that there's even a town at the end of the road! Perhaps the road leads off a cliff...?" Both Mei and Kyu's eyes darkened, seeing that Yami may have figured out the scheme before they both could get themselves caught into it. "But in any case, let's play..."

"Fine by us. Resume the game!" Mei spoke. "Now, it's my turn!" he said, as he took a card from his hand. 'We have no choice but the enter the dungeon and beat the enemy!' he thought. "I play Beaver Warrior in attack mode! Since he has four stars, he can move four spaces." he finished as the monster started into the maze. "My turn's over." Yami looked over the expanse of their field. _'We have quite a distance between us and the enemy...it seems like the battles will be concentrated in the second half of the game...'_ he thought.

Mei smirked as he watched Yami's examining gaze over the board. _'I know what you're thinking and you're oh so wrong! I'll show you the true terror of the labyrinth!'_ He drew his card and smirked even more. "First, I'll play Polymerization...and then the Shadow Ghoul! I merge Shadow Ghoul with the board itself!" he spoke as the ghoul-like monster appeared and gave a roar before disappearing into the wall. "It can't be...!" Yami spoke with shock as he saw the shadow of the monster zipped through the walls of the labyrinth and towards his Beaver Warrior. _'It's too fast! Beaver Warrior can't escape!'_

The Beaver Warrior looked up and gave a squeak as Wall Shadow emerged from the wall. "Go, Wall Shadow! Labyrinth Kamatachi (Sickle Weasel, the name of a Japanese monster without the labyrinth part)!" Mei called and Wall Shadow raised its deadly sickle like claws and slashed at Beaver Warrior.

The Beaver Warrior fazed away in a bout of mist, its death cry echoing throughout the labyrinth. After the monster was destroyed, Wall Shadow retreated back into the walls. _'This Wall Shadow is a tough and crafty enemy! It can move through walls as easily as a fish moves through water and kills any monster with one slash of its claws.'_ Yami thought.

_'Now do you see? The Wall Shadow will immediately intercept any monsters from entering the labyrinth! Nothing will be able to survive its deadly claws!'_ Mei thought, smirk still present after the defeat of Yami's monster. _'Both of you are as good as captured by the giant beast called the labyrinth...you'll never make it out alive!'_

"My turn!" Jou called, drawing his card. "Alright! I'll play Axe Raider in attack mode...and one more card face down onto the field!" he said as the axe wielding warrior appeared on the field. "Since I can't see what I'm fighting, I can't head into the labyrinth so I'm not moving this turn! I'll keep some distance and when that monster comes close, I'll attack!" Jou said and Yami smiled. _'Good move, Jou-kun.'_

_'Yami, I hope you get my strategy...!'_ he thought as he ended his turn. From the sidelines, the others watched silently. "I hope Jou doesn't do anything stupid..." Honda whispered. "Don't worry! Yami will back him up!" Yugi exclaimed.

"I hope so too...since it's a tag-team match, there's a chance that the opponents will focus on Jou and take him out first..." Keara stated. Yugi looked up to her and then back to Yami and Jou. /Yami, do you think that Mei and Kyu will go after Jou since he the weakest? They know you are a strong duelist but they may think of Jou as nothing but a beginner and easy to take out so you'll both will lose the duel./ Yugi spoke.

/Don't worry, I'll will watch his back and make sure that the Meikyu Brothers won't focus their attention on him and try to take him out./ Yami responded and looked back as Kyu conducted his turn. _'First, I'll play a trap card face down...now when they step on one of the wrong squares, they'll fall prey to the living land mine!'_ he thought as he placed the Jirai Gumo trap card onto the field.

"And now...! I play Labyrinth Tank!" he called, the blue and red tank monster appearing on the field. _'Now you have two things to worry about. Enter the labyrinth and face Wall Shadow or stay and let Labyrinth Tank come to you! There is no escape now!'_

"My turn!" Yami drew his card and saw it was Celtic Guardian. He glanced over at Jou and seeing a glint in his eye that said he has something prepared, he nodded discreetly before making the move. "I play Celtic Guardian in attack mode! Advance into the labyrinth!" Celtic Guardian started walking into the labyrinth, stopping after four spaces and Mei smirked. _'What a fool! He made the same mistake twice!'_ he thought as the turn came to him and he drew his card before sending Wall Shadow to strike Celtic Guardian.

Celtic Guardian felt that something was wrong and looked around, not seeing the shadow of Wall Shadow's form and was surprised when the monster appeared above him, claws ready to tear him apart. Yami smirked as the monster revealed itself. "Got you." he whispered and that made Mei confused at what he meant. he thoughts were answered as a three bladed weapon with a chain connected to it came out of nowhere and wrapped around Wall Shadow. Axe Raider kept a firm grip upon the weapon as Wall Shadow started to struggle in the binds.

_'No, he got the shadow!'_

Jou chuckled as he showed them the Kunai with Chain trap card. "Check this out! The Kunai wraps around attacking enemies and immobilizes them. I saved this trap card to help out Yami!" Jou explained and Yami nodded to him before looking back to the board. "Attack, Celtic Guardian! Destroy Wall Shadow!" he called and Celtic Guardian's sword flashed as he, with the extra 500 from the Kunai with Chain's added effect, gave a mighty blow, easily slicing through Wall Shadow's head as if it were butter. "Wall Shadow is slain." Yami spoke. Mei growled in anger as his monster was defeated and his life points went down to 1700.

"Let's go, Yami! We're in this together and no labyrinth brothers is going to defeat us!" Jou said and he nodded. "Nice move, Jou-kun!" Yugi called. "You can do it, man!" Honda cheered. _'What do you know, Jou? You're actually getting pretty good at this! At this rate, you'll be able to save your sister's eyesight.'_ he thought as he and the others continued to watch the duel. _'If we win this duel, it's off to Pegasus castle! One step closer to glory.'_

_'You think that's all it takes? You'll plummet to your death in the pitfalls of our maze!'_ Mei thought. "Let the game continue! Jounouchi, it's your turn!" Kyu called and Jou nodded. "I'm on it!" Jou drew a card and looked at it before looking down to the board._ 'Let's see, I only have Axe Raider out on the board. I need to get more pieces out to support Yami!'_ he thought.

"All right! I send out Flame Swordsman for my first move. Then for my next move, I move Axe Raider closer to Celtic Guardian. He used the kunai for a surprise attack so it's done its purpose, now it's nothing but a regular weapon...but that still means his attack is raised by 500! And I'm done!" he finished as Axe Raider made his move to stand next to Celtic Guardian.

Kyu looked down to the board silently. _'So, they're in close formation now...'_ he thought before drawing his card. "My turn! Labyrinth Tank, attack!" The monster continued on its path through the maze, inching ever closer to their group of monsters. _'The Labyrinth Tank is a heavyweight killing machine with high attack and defense! Soon, you fools will be in its range. And that not all...'_ Kyu thought with a smirk. _'The Trap-Door Spider is waiting for you! There's no way you'll avoid stepping on its space!'_

"It my turn again!" Yami called as he drew another card._ 'It's obvious they've set up traps along our route...'_ he contemplated, looking down to the field. Jou also looked down to the field and groaned. "Man! If only we could jump over those walls, we could get to the doors faster!" he whined.

"We can't do that, Jou-kun! Flying monsters won't work in the labyrinth! We can't see it as players but in all actuality, this setting is a dark dungeon with a stone ceiling. There's no room to fly in there." Yami stated. Jou's eyes widened in horror. "H-Hold on! But my Red Eyes is a flying monster!"

"That's right. Dragons are no good here. Warriors, Beast-Warriors, Spell-casters...it can only be conquered by ground units..." he spoke, drawing a card. "For now, we just have to go forward one step at a time!" Mei and Kyu's eyes narrowed, feeling as if he had more planned than they thought. _'But there is another way.'_ he thought.

"I play the Black Magician! Advance in attack mode!" he called and the magician moved forwards until he was standing ahead of the group. _'Now our marching order is very tight...we don't have any openings for them to try any sneak attacks.'_ Yami thought, examining the board. _'Now brothers, what will you try now?'_

_'So, you plan to try to get through our dungeon through the sheer force of numbers? Not if I can help it!'_ Mei thought as he drew his card and grinned. _'Time to put an end to your so called "team-work"!'_ He set the card onto the board and they gasped, seeing it to be Magical Labyrinth.

The board started to shake, causing the monsters to look around before the board shifted, bringing a wall between Yami's monsters and Jou's monsters. "Great! Now there's a wall between our monsters!" Jou exclaimed. _'Now both of your pieces are isolated! With that wall between you and your friend, you can't help each other, even if your life's at stake!'_ Mei started to smirk darkly.

_'And now we get to the real business of a tag team battle...picking on the weaker partner!'_ he thought, looking to Jou. "Alright! I'm gonna go!" Jou said, drawing a card. Jou looked down to the board, looking at the long path that would lead him back to Yami's monsters.

_'I'd have to take a big detour to get back together with Yami's group. Guess I've gotta leave him alone and get through the labyrinth by myself...'_ he thought. "Alright, guys! Looks like it's just us fighters! Let's go!" Jou called and his monsters started to advance forward, unaware of the trap waiting for them. Kyu watched silently and once Axe Raider landed on the spot, he activated his trap card.

"You activated my trap!" he spoke.

"What?" Jou looked down to the board seeing the large spider now leaping up out of the labyrinth floor, attacking Axe Raider and easily defeating him. "No!" he cried. "Jou-kun, hang in there!" Yami told him. Kyu chuckled with glee. _'He fell for it like a ton of bricks! But it's not over until all of Jounouchi's pieces are dead! I'll pin him down even further!'_ he thought as he drew a card. "My turn!" By his command, the Labyrinth Tank advanced further until it was sitting right behind Jirai Gumo.

_'And the Flame Swordsman is within range! Just one more turn and he dies!'_

"It...It looks like he's dead..." Jou said, knowing that Flame Swordsman didn't have enough attack points to defeat any of Kyu's monsters. "Don't say that, Jou-kun!" Diamond called. "Yeah! Don't give up now!" Honda added._ 'But he's right!'_ Kyu thought in response to Jou's statement. _'Yami's Black Magician can't interfere with the wall in his way! Your piece is as good as dead!'_

Yami had a passive look on his face as he drew his card, then smirked, revealing fangs. _'He must think he really has something to stop me! Hah! All you can do is sit there and suck at your thumb while you friends dies on the other side of the wall!'_ Yami snarled.

"You think so, huh? Let me show you then. My next card is Mystic Box! The Magic Boxes of Death! I use the in combination with the Black Magician!" Yami said and the box appeared around the magician, swords embedded on the floor around him. The magician gave a look to Celtic Guardian before the door sealed him inside. Kyu watched in curiosity but his eyes widened as he saw the swords lift up from the ground and went through the box, skewering the magician, or so he thought.

_'Did he just kill himself?'_ he thought, wondering why Yami was willing to kill his own monster. "No, look!" Mei whispered, pointing to the board and Kyu looked down, seeing that there was another box that was in the space where Jirai Gumo was. He looked back over to where the first box was, seeing the doors opening and gasped.

_'No! My spider was the one to die! Then that means...'_ He looked back to the second, seeing the doors open again and Black Magician appeared. "Get it now? My magician teleported using the Mystic Box! It switched places with your spider and used it as a sacrifice! And now, he gets another attack!" Yami spoke.

"Go, Black Magician! Cast your spells! Black Magic!" He gathered his magic before letting the power loose, demolishing the Labyrinth Tank, Kyu's life points decreasing down to 1600. "Sorry to wreck your plan...but the power of teamwork overcomes any wall!" Yami said. Jou grinned over to Yami. "Thanks, Yami! You saved me big time!" Jou said happily. He nodded.

"But we're not done yet. Come on! Let get out of this maze!" Jou nodded in agreement and Kyu growled in anger. _'Don't think it's that easy! You'll never escape!'_

"Yami! Jou-kun! You can win this!" Yugi called, now holding onto Aqua was was struggling a little to keep standing. _'And hurry, he needs a meal and fast.'_

"You bet!" Jou said, looking back to the before turning his attention back to the board. "It's my turn!" Mei spoke as he drew a card and looked to it, smiling wickedly. _'Sanga of the Thunder! The demon god of thunder! One of the three great guardian of the elements...water, wind and thunder...like its twin Kazejin and Suijin...'_ His smile grew even more.

_'In Duel Monsters, some monsters can only be summoned by activating several cards at once. It used to be only Exodia but Pegasus-sama created one just for us...the other two sit within our decks but once all three come together, the demon god, Gate Guardian, will arise!'_

He placed the card onto the board, chuckling quietly but Yami was able to catch the low sounds and looked to him. Soon, a sealed box materialized on Mei's side of the field and he looked down to it, feeling an immense power from it._ 'That box is marked with Rai, the symbol of "thunder"...something is sealed in there and we need to be wary of whatever it could be.'_ Yami thought then shuddered.

_'I am having a bad feeling about it, though.'_ After Mei ended is turn, Jou made his. He examined the board and grinned. "Not one bad guy in sight! Flame Swordsman! Charge on forward!" The monster obeyed and move the numbers of steps that the stars marked on his card pertained before stopping.

"That's my turn!"

Kyu looked at the board, smirking. _'They have three pieces on the board...slowly but surely coming closer to the exit...but they won't escape the labyrinth before the two final guardians are drawn!'_ he thought, drawing his card and his smirk widened. He placed the card face down and another sealed box appeared onto the field.

Yami shuddered once more, snarling slightly. _'The air is getting heavier with power. Something is up with those boxes and this bad feeling is rising more.'_ he thought. Kyu picked another card out from his hand and placed it onto the field. "I play Dungeon Worm in attack mode!"

A rumble was heard and Yami looked over the field, not seeing the monster. Soon, a roar was heard as the monstrous worm appeared from the ground underneath Celtic Guardian, tossing him up into the air before clamping down, causing a wail to come from the elf and Black Magician, unnoticed to Yami or Jou, looked back in horror as the elf was consumed by the worm. Yami looked on with horror as well as his life points decreased down to 1200. The worm crawled through the path a short ways before burying back underground.

_'After each meal, the Dungeon Worm hides underground, away from attacks. No matter where you run, you're worm food. And with each meal, its attack goes up by 10 percent!'_ Kyu thought, grinning.

_'He's just like Kajiki. We can't attack his worm while its hidden underground.'_ Yami thought. "Crud! What are we going to do, Yami?" Jou questioned. He didn't respond, only drew his next card before taking one from his hand. "I use Magical Hats!" he said and four top hats appeared onto the board concealing the Black Magician and Flame Swordsman from view. Mei and Kyu were surprised with the trick and Jou grinned.

"Sweet! Now that worm won't know where our monsters are!" Jou exclaimed happily.

Yami chuckled as well. "Yes, our monsters are hidden underneath the hats. Even with it's power-up, your worm only has 1980 attack points. Find the hat with the Black Magician and your worm is as good as dead." Yami spoke. Mei chuckled darkly as he drew his card. _'Very well, I'll take you up on that little challenge...I'll play this card!'_ he thought, placing the monster onto the field.

_'The Monster Tamer of Hell! Ordinarily, I wasn't able to control a monster on the board played by my brother. But now, with Monster Tamer, I not only gain control of Dungeon Worm but it also gain another 600 attack points!'_

Yami growled in anger. _'Great. With that tamer's guidance, the worm is much stronger than Black Magician! If he's hit, he's dead!'_

"C'mon Dungeon Worm!" Mei called, his Monster Tamer snapping the whip upon the ground. The rumbling was heard again and soon, the worm appeared out of the ground through one of the hats, but it didn't get any monsters. "Yes! It missed!" Jou exclaimed.

_'So it missed. No matter. It will only go back underground and make another attack. It will be bound to get one of their monsters soon enough.'_ Mei thought as the worm slithered back into the hole until its time to make another attack. "My turn!" Jou drew a card and grinned. "Y'know...I just hate being stuck in a small dark place..." he said as Flame Swordsman leapt out from the hat he hid in.

_'Jou, what are you doing?'_ Yami questioned worriedly. _'You'll see.'_ he responded. "What is he thinking? His monster is not a match for that worm!" Honda spoke. "Look at this! See the power of this handy card!" he said, placing the card onto the field. "Salamandra, the Fire Snake! It goes inside Flame Swordsman's sword and his power increases!" Jou explained. "Now go, Salamandra! Toast that worm!" With a fiery hiss, Salamandra pursued the worm through the hat it came out of, surprising Mei and Kyu and Yami smiled.

_'Good plan. The worm is only confined to that space, making its escape very thin.'_ he thought as the worm came out from the hole, wailing in agony as it was consumed by the serpent's flames. _'This is impossible! They got the worm!'_ Kyu thought as his life points decreased to 1080.

"Good job, Jou!" Yami said, smiling over to him while the others cheered from the sidelines. _'Cheer while you can for once the last piece is revealed, your death is imminent.'_ Kyu thought as he drew the card and grinned broadly. He placed the card onto the field and soon, a great power was released, making Yami and Aqua reel back from the power emanating through the room.

"Hahaha! Thunder, Wind and Water unite! Rise, Gate Guardian! Demon God of the three elements!" The ropes sealing the boxes snapped and mist started rising out of the boxes heavily, combining together and started to create a form. "What the...?" Jou exclaimed.

"What is that thing?" Yugi said with worry. The monster finally formed, revealed three separate demon of thunder, water and wind combined to form one great beast that now blocked the way to the exit. _'Now between the two doors is this monster...we will never escape unless we beat it first!' _Jou groaned in anger.

"Gate Guardian! I shoulda known dungeons always have some sort of humongo boss character we had to fight! Lets do our best, Yami!" Yami nodded in agreement while on the other side, Mei and Kyu kept a permanent smirk on their faces, thinking that there was no way they could defeat Gate Guardian.

"Man, that monster looks tough. I hope they can beat it." Honda said. Aqua groaned again, pupils dilated as he was struggling with instinct to not harm any of the others. Yugi looked down to him with worry before getting an idea. _'I know if he still had any sense of what he was doing, he would stop but this is as good of a time as any. He need something to sate his hunger until Yami and Jou can beat these two so he can have a more hearty meal.'_ he thought, looking back to Keara then down to Aqua.

He pried open his mouth and stuck his wrist there, nicking his skin with his fangs and when a drop of blood hit his tongue, he quickly grabbed hold of the source and started to lap at what was offered. Zella saw this and frowned, starting to become worried. "Yugi, you sure you should be doing that while he's like this? What if he starts to eat away at your arm?" she said.

"I'll pull away before he can, he may have a strong grip but I can make him stop before he can take it a step too far." he said. Zella nodded, still worried but knew that he knew what he was doing and turned back to the battle.

Mei and Kyu chuckled. "You made a fatal mistake to give us time to send out Gate Guardian." Mei spoke. "And now, it's your fate to die at the hands of the great fusion demon god!" Kyu finished. Jou snorted. "Listen up, cue balls! If you're going to use card combos...we'll show you what a teamwork combo can do!" Jou said, clenching a fist in determination.

Their smirks widened, just beckoning them to show their teamwork defeating the demon god standing in their way. Yami looked towards the field, seeing that Kyu used up his turned summoning Gate Guardian.

_'We have two units left, Black Magician and Flame Swordsman. From here, they can't take down Gate Guardian unless they move closer. It too risky to even try that...'_ he thought before drawing a card and placed it into his hand before taking another. "I'm going to play two cards face down!" he started, placing the cards onto the field. "And that's my turn!" Mei nodded before drawing a card. "Now, Gate Guardian! Use your power! Sanga of the Thunder! Attack Flame Swordsman!" he called, surprising Yami. _'No! It can strike anywhere in the labyrinth! There's no place to hide from its attacks!'_

"Thunder Shot!" The demon god raised its arms, gathering thunder in the palms of its claws before unleashing the devastating blow towards Flame Swordsman. Jou gasped with worry. "No! Flame Swordsman!" Jou called. _'If that attack connects, I'm dead and we both lose!'_ Jou thought, cursing himself for being so weak.

The attack engulfed Flame Swordsman and Mei chuckled in victory. _'Yes! One down! Goodbye Flame Swordsman!'_ Yami chuckled, hand resting over a card on the field. "I don't think so." he said, flipping up the card and revealing Mirror Force.

"I play Mirror Force! Protect the Flame Swordsman with your holy barricade!" he called and the dome of magic appeared over Flame Swordsman, blocking him from the attack and sending it back towards Gate Guardian. "Kazejin! Reflection! Storm Barricade!" Kyu called out and the monster responded, the midsection blowing out a gust of wind that became a huge barrier, blocking Sanga's attack from hitting the monster. Yami sneered slightly in anger. _'So Kazejin can create a barrier using its own wind. An airtight magnetic field that double deflects.'_

He then chuckled. "Too bad your little barrier doesn't protect your other monster from harm." he spoke and then the two brothers realized that the Monster Tamer was unguarded from the attack and took the full force of it, causing Mei to have his life points hit 900. "Whew! That was close! Nice save, Yami!" Jou said, looking over to him.

He then turned back to the field. "Now it's my turn! C'mon Flame Swordsman! Attack Kazejin with Flame of Salamandra!" The flaming serpent appeared from his blade and aimed for the midsection of the towering guardian but the unexpected happened before the attack could connect.

"Reflection! Wall of Water!" A deluge of water came from the lower half of the guardian, dousing the flaming serpent and its attack. _'No! It can also create defensive walls using water? It the ultimate beast in attack and defense!'_ Yami thought.

_'Can't you see now? Water, Wind and Thunder! The power of the three guardians make this beast invincible! Now pay the price for your insolence!'_ Kyu thought. "My turn!" He drew a card before announcing his attack. "Attack, Suijin! Aqua Wave!" Another deluge came from the mouth of the water element, flushing through the maze in a roaring wave that passed over the hats harmlessly but Flame Swordsman was hit with the brunt of the attack.

Flame Swordsman was washed away with a groan, his attack reduced by 300 due to the attack being water based before he disappeared off the field. Jou gasped as he watched his monster get swept away, his life points going down to 1300. "Aw man! Losing Flame Swordsman right before we get to the doors! That's not cool!" Jou groaned.

"Do we have to walk through the labyrinth all over again?" he questioned. "No...your monster's death won't be in vain, Jou. " Yami said. "My turn!" he drew his card then smirked. "I'll use kin to follow the path your monster made!" he said before placing the card onto the field. "Come forth, Summoned Skull!" he called and the large demon appeared on the field, hissing angrily.

_'How is the Skull demon going to attack me? It's on the other side of the field. It's attack won't reach Gate Guardian.'_ Kyu thought. "We'll see about that." Yami said, smirk still present. "I thought I told you that I'm following in his footsteps...the footsteps of his path through the water of the maze!" he finished and Kyu looked down to see what he meant. _'Oh no! Suijin's attack left the whole dungeon flooded...and that means..'_ he didn't even finish the thought for Yami finished it for him. "...That means you die!" he roared. "Go, Demon Lightning!"

Summoned Skull hissed with anger again, gathering energy about him before unleashing the attack. As Yami said, the lightning follow the path of water towards Gate Guardian. "Oh yeah! We did it!" Jou cheered. "Forget it! I'll blow it away with Kazejin's wind power! Reflection!" Kyu called, but nothing happened. "Surprised? Here's a clue, remember when you attack passed over the magical hats?" he questioned, placing a hand over the second face down sitting on the field. _'No! Not a trap!'_

"Yes, a trap. The curse of the hexagram curse was attached to the Black Magician all along. Hexagram activate!" By his command, the hexagram seal appeared around Gate Guardian, sealing it from making any attacks to block the lightning charging towards it. "Eat Lightning, Suijin!" Jou said as the lightning entered the mouth of Suijin and soon it was lit up with the electrical charge that did double due to it being a water element before it was destroyed, causing Kyu's life points to decrease to 780.

"All right! We'll knock him down from the bottom up like a daruma otoshi (a Japanese toy where you knock out the bottom segments of a pillar)!" Jou continued. "That boss is easy! They should be able to beat it in no time!" Honda said. "C'mon guys!" Diamond called. Yugi continued to watch the battle, Aqua still lapping up blood although much more slowly than before.

"My turn! Mei called, drawing a card and examined his hand. _'We need to remove that spell at once or else Gate Guardian won't be able to move.'_ he thought. He played De-Spell, removing the curse around Gate Guardian. "It's your turn!" he said. _'Even if you make it out the maze, you will never defeat the guardian!'_ Mei thought.

"Here goes!" Jou said, drawing a card the turned to look at Yami, giving him a short nod. He nodded back._ 'Now is the time to play our trump card!'_ Jou nodded and then placed the monster onto the field. "I send out my Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Jou said, the black dragon appearing onto the field with a roar.

"And we're not done yet. I use the magic card I played face-down! Polymerization!" Yami said, flipping the card face up. "Now, we merge the Red Eyes and Summoned Skull together to create the Black Skull Dragon! Arise!"

A roar came as the two fused monsters revealed itself into a huge dragon with the skeletal features of the Summoned Skull and the midnight black color of the Red Eyes with a good 3200 attack points. "This is our ultimate monster! This will be the final battle!" Jou said. "Better start looking for a new dungeon because were busting this one wide open!"

_'The Black Skull Dragon...?'_ Both Mei and Kyu thought before Kyu laughed. "Fools! Have you forgotten? This labyrinth can only be crossed by ground units! You can merge your monsters all you like but they can't advance forward! The Black Skull Dragon has wings-so it can't fit through the narrow corridors! It can get to Gate Guardian but Gate Guardian can attack anywhere in the maze!" Kyu explained, laughing again. _'Aw man! He's right! They told me that monsters like Red Eyes were useless but I still played it on impulse!'_ Jou thought.

He then got a thought and looked to Yami. "But hold on...Yami, you knew that too. But you played Polymerization like you had a plan...I didn't screw up that badly did I?" he asked. "Nope...you did just what I wanted you to do. We still have a chance to get out of here!" he said. Jou grinned and nodded. _'This guy always have plans before I can even figure them out! And to think I thought I was going to ruin this entire duel because I was so weak compared to these brothers' expert skill.'_ he thought. "All right, bald dudes! I'm done!"

The other continue to watch, Yugi still holding his wrist to Aqua's mouth before he started feeling the other pulling away. He looked down to him and saw that his eyes were back to normal. Aqua finally pulled his mouth away and looked to him. "Why'd you do it, Yugi? If I didn't leave that trance, you could've been dead." he whispered.

"I couldn't let you sit there and become weak with hunger. But it looks like Yami has something planned to win so you'll have something to eat soon." Yugi whispered, stroking his head, and he nodded before looking back to the duel. "You can do it! Getting out this maze depends on you two!" Aqua called.

Ryou nodded in agreement. "This is the last thing between us and Pegasus' castle..." he said softly before looking down to the Ring. _'Pegasus' castle, and the secret of the Sennen Items...'_ The Ring still pulsed with power, trying to draw Ryou once more into its complex web and the arms of the demon within. "My turn!" Kyu drew his card and grinned. _'Ah yes...this card scares even me but it will bring more fear to them once I use it!'_ he thought as he played the card. "I use the magic card, Ryoku!" he said and Yami's eyes widened.

_'Ryoku? The legendary ultra rare magic card!'_ he thought. "Now! Half your life points belong to me!" he said and Jou gaped. "What! No way! Half of our life points?" Jou exclaimed as their life points decreased from 1300 and 1200 to 650 and 600.

"Now, I take the power from you and feed it to the guardian!"

The power taken from Yami and Jou was added to Gate Guardian, making Sanga and Kazejin's attack raise up to 3250 and 3000. _'They're lucky I can't attack on the same turn I used Ryoku but on my next turn, both Sanga and Kazejin will attack and destroy your dragon with their combined attack. No matter what, you both will lose!'_

Jou growled angrily and the other watched on worriedly. "Before that, it's my turn!" he said as he drew a card. _'Hmm...the Shift card.'_ He mulled over it and them smirked. _'Yes...that'll work.'_ After running the plan through once more, he started on his turn. "Black Magician proceeds towards the exit from the labyrinth!" he said and the magician leapt from the hat he was hidden under and started walking towards the exit of the maze. _'Hah! Do you think you can just walk out of this maze alive? You should know by now that in order to get out, you'll have to pass our ultimate guardian!'_

Yami heard the thought and snarled. "Listen and listen good! We will overcome any of your obstacles as long as there's a shred of chance!" he said before looking down to the magician as he took the seventh and final step out of the maze. "...And just one step from the exit. Before I end my turn, I playing one more card on the field." he finished, placing the card onto the field. "Monster Reborn! Now it's time to bring back one of your monsters and make it defend me!"

Mei chuckled as he watched the move. _'Reborn whatever monster you like! It won't save you!'_ he thought. "My turn! Gate Guardian! Attack the Black Magician! Double attack! Demon Thunder and Wind!" he called and the monster gather its energies before Kazejin released the mighty blast towards the Black Magician.

_'If I defeat the Black Magician, Yami's life points will hit zero and then we'll win!'_ Mei thought. "Attacks are useless! Suijin! Use Reflection!" Yami called and in a bright flash, Suijin appeared back in place on the guardian but it was on Yami's side, shooting out a deluge of water that rose up and protected the magician from the blast.

_'No! He brought back Suijin and although its reconnected with Gate Guardian, it's on his side now! It can deflect any attacks made to them now!'_ Mei thought in horror. "Yes! Smooth move there, Yami!" Jou said happily. "Somehow, they survived their turn...now can they make it past Gate Guardian?" Zella whispered softly. Mei and Kyu growled, seeing that now, they couldn't do a thing with Suijin on their side and yet connected with their monster. "All right, Jou-kun! It's your turn!" Yami said and Jou nodded.

_'Now what? There has to be a way left that we can win.'_ he thought as he drew his next card. _'They'll destroy Suijin on their next turn and then we'll have no way to stop their attacks. Everything will depend on Jou's next card.' _Yami thought, taking a glance over to him. Jou looked at the card and his eyes widened in realization.

_'This card is...Copycat!'_ He thought about it and then grinned. "I just had a good idea!" he said, placing the card onto the field. "I use Copycat and copy...your Ryoku card!" he said and they gasped as their life points were cut in half, leaving Mei with 450 and Kyu with 390.

"In other words...I'm taking half your power and adding it to Black Skull Dragon!" he explained and the dragon gave a menacing roar as his attack increased from 3200 to 4040. _'Over 4000 attack points! We can never defeat it now if they bring it to the end of the labyrinth!'_ Kyu thought then grinned. _'But they can't so it will be useless for them to bother powering up their dragon.'_

"My turn! Kazejin, destroy Suijin!" The monster let lose a strong gust of wind that curved and struck Suijin, destroying it easily. _'Now what, Yami? You lost your last line of defense! Next turn, we'll win!'_ Mei thought.

"Now's the time when I laugh at your idiocy..." Yami whispered darkly. _'Huh?'_

"Haven't you figured out anything? Don't you know the real, true reason why I took the Black Magician through the maze?" he lifted the card on the field and showed it to them, making them gasped in horror. "To use the magic card, Shift! This card will switch the position of our monsters, putting the strongest up front!"

_'No! It can't be! If even one of his monsters gets through the maze, he can switch it with another monster...and Black Magician is face to face with the guardian!'_ Kyu thought, knowing that they couldn't stop the attack since Kazejin already made an attack and couldn't use Storm Barricade.

"Here I go! Monsters, shift your places!" Yami called and a ring of light appeared around Black Magician and Black Skull Dragon, shifting their positions so that now, Black Skull Dragon stood in front of Gate Guardian. "Now, show your anger and attack with Meteor Flare!" The dragon roared once again as fire gather in his jaws before he unleashed blast upon blast of meteors towards Gate Guardian, destroying it. Gate Guardian fell with a low, decrepit wail before disappearing off the field and both brothers' life points decreased to zero.

"We win!" Yami said, both he and Jou grinning with victory as the monsters disappeared from the field.

"Yes! They did it!" Honda, Diamond, Zella, Ryou and Yugi cheered. "Teamwork always comes through!" Honda said excitedly. "And that means.." Zella started. "...Yami and Jou have..." Yugi added.

"Ten star chips!" They cheered again.

They placed the chips into the gauntlets. "And earned the right to enter the castle." Yami said. "The game isn't over yet..." Mei whispered, both chuckling. Jou looked over to them, confused. "What're you laughing about? Didn't we just beat you two?" he questioned. "Yes, you defeated us and you have our respect for that but have you forgotten...?" Kyu started.

"That you haven't really won until you actually get out of the maze!" Mei finished. Jou flinched, now remembering about the two doors they had to chose from but Yami only chuckled, licking at his fangs. "We haven't forgotten..isn't this what you told us at the start? There are two door. "Mei' and "Kyu". Only one leads to the surface...and we only get to open the door of the person we beat.

"But...we beat you both at the same time! So both doors should be opened!" Yami said. "No!" They both said. "Only one door will open!"

"What? That's not fair!" Jou exclaimed. "Then there was no point in beating them both at the same time!" Diamond growled. "Aww man! This is all for nothing if they choose the wrong door!" Honda groaned. "Now you must choose your fate..." Mei spoke.

"On your right, the Kyu door! On your left, the Mei door! Which will it be?" he questioned. "Let me give you a hint...the Kyu door is the right door." Kyu spoke.

"No no! The Mei door!" Mei countered.

"Dang it! I know one of you's lying! But I don't know which one so zip it already!" Jou yelled, pointing towards them.

They chuckled darkly and Yami looked to them, trying to think of a way to find the right door. _'They claim one of them is lying and the other is telling the truth...is it possible to figure it out from everything they've said so far? Let me think back once again...'_ he thought, recalling the thoughts of everything they said that was about the riddle and then remembering the riddle Jou told him about. _'What did Jou asked them again...?'_

_"If on of the doors is the correct one...take us to your door!"_

_'And in response...both pointed to the Kyu door...at that moment, it seemed like Mei was the liar but he never spoke a word. In other words, he didn't say a lie. That could be the trick that could confuse us. Retracing what they said was like a labyrinth of words without an exit...'_ His eyes narrowed.

_'Their words are just tools to deceive...'_ Jou moaned in agony, tipping back in his chair and would've hit the floor if Zella and Honda didn't jump for him and grabbed his chair. "Yami...I can't think anymore! My head hurts...it's all yours now..." he whispered, holding a hand to his head. "Pull yourself together, Jou-kun!" Zella said. Yami watched Mei and Kyu once more, seeing their looks of victory as if they have chosen wrong already.

_'They seem very certain that we'll choose the wrong door...but really it should be a 50-50 chance...how can they be so confident about this? I need to think again...there's one possible answer...one: Mei is the right door. Two: Kyu is the right door. Three: both doors are right. Or four: both doors are wrong and there's a third hidden door somewhere else...'_ Mei and Kyu chuckled again before one spoke.

"It seems you're suspicious that there's more than two doors in this hall..." Kyu spoke.

"Very well. You have five minutes...to search every inch of this hall..." Mei finished. "All right! Let's search this place from top to bottom!" Honda said and they nodded and they started to look around for any sign of a hidden door. "I'll start here." Ryou said as he examined the walls. Mei looked to Yami who didn't move from his spot. "Aren't you going to look?" he asked. "I'm fine where I sit...it's easier to judge the correct door from right here..." he said and they only chuckled again.

"I guess the door we came in from doesn't count..." Honda said as he looked around.

Ryou continued to examine the walls before a dark presence started to creep around the hall. /"I'll tell you which door it is..."/ The voice whispered and Ryou jumped looking over to Aqua. "D-Did you say something, Aqua?" he asked and he shook his head. Ryou looked around once more, starting to fear the worse. /"Heh heh...it's me, little prince..."/ The voice spoke again.

_'It can be...th-this voice...'_ Ryou pulled out the ring and saw it glowing, the needle pointing to his left. /"It's been a long time, little prince. How long are you going to waste your time here? Playing these stupid and ridiculous card games when a new Sennen Item is just a stone's throw away...didn't you know I was guiding you to it this whole time?"/

Ryou shivered as the voice coiled around his mind like a serpent ready to snag its prey and shook his head. /"Put me on! Put me on and I'll tell you where the door is! It'll be easy for a thief like me!"/ Bakura spoke again. Yugi looked over to him, curious at why he stopped. "Is something wrong, Ryou?" he asked.

He jumped again and turned to him. "Oh...um...N...nothing's wrong, Yugi." he said and Yugi nodded before they went to search for any sign of a third door. /"I see now...you're afraid of me because of what happened before? Relax! I'm a new person now! I'm just trying to help you get your friends out of this maze!"/ Bakura said.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" Ryou said, keeping quiet so the others wouldn't know of his predicament. /I won't listen to you anymore!/ he yelled mentally. /"Oh? you won't, eh? Well, listen to this...if you don't put me on right now, you're friends will be trapped here..."/

/"...Forever!"/ Ryou's eyes widened and knew he couldn't risk the lives if his friends and slowly but surely, he placed the Ring over his head and once it rested on his chest, Bakura gave a laugh as he took his place back in Ryou's soul._ 'Now, Crimson only need to convince Diamond to do the same and then once we reach Pegasus, it will be a meal fit for a king and then we'll gain our own bodies.'_ he thought with a chuckle. "Your five minutes are up!" The brothers said and they all gathered back over to Yami's side, not finding a hint of a third door.

"Yami...we looked everywhere but we couldn't find anything leading to a third door." Zella said and looked over to Ryou as he walked back over to them. "Did you find anything, Ryou?" she asked. He shook his head slowly. "No..." he whispered. Seeing as they didn't find anything, Yami assumed option four out.

_'There's one way for them to stop us from choosing the right door...this is a final gamble...'_ he thought. "Now, Yami! Choose a door! Will it be...Mei? Or will it be...Kyu?" The brothers said once more. Yami didn't speak a word, only lifted a hand, showing two coins with the kanji for Mei and Kyu written on them in between his fingers.

Kyu laughed mockingly. "You're going to decide with a coin toss!" he spoke, still laughing. "Be quiet and watch. I have coins in my left and right hands..." he started before placing them down on the table, his fingers blocking the kanji so that no one could see. "...And now I put them on the table." They all watched with curiosity, seeing what he was up to. "Now, the coin I leave in my hand will show which door I'm going to choose! Are you ready?" he questioned, looking to the brothers. "Hmm...very well." Kyu spoke. "Now, move your hand!"

Everyone was silent, waiting to see what the coin's kanji said, all but Ryou who watched with dulled eyes. "Here I go..." he whispered, lifting up his left hand to reveal the coin that read Kyu. "Ahh...the Kyu coin...so the coin in your other hand must be Mei. So you choose the Mei door." Yami was silent but Ryou spoke up in a voice that wasn't his own. "He chose Mei? You're wrong, Yami! The Kyu door's the right one!" he hissed. Diamond looked to him with fear and worry. "R-Ryou?" she whispered softly. Yami turned back to look to him as well. _'Ryou...?'_

"It's too late...Yami already chose the Mei door..." Kyu said, chuckling. "You should have listened to your friend instead of taking a gamble, Yami...the correct answer is..." The small doors opened, revealing a key labeled Kyu. "The Kyu door! This key is the only thing that can open the door out of here!" he said before laughing. "Yami! You chose wrong! Thereby you are forbidden to leave this labyrinth! You and your friends must stay here-" He was cut of by a snicker from Yami. "I knew it..." he whispered.

That stopped the brothers from their gloating and they looked to him. "You gave everything away...all the clues that I needed to solve your little riddle right on your faces..." he said and they gaped. "Huh...!" They both exclaimed.

"Yes, your faces! Those smug expressions, confident that I would chose the wrong door...because there is no right answer! If I chose Mei, you'd say the correct one was Kyu...and if I said Kyu, you would say Mei..." Yami said as he stood, still keeping a finger over the other coin but started to growl.

"In other words, they decide which door is the correct one...after knowing what their opponents choose..." Ryou whispered. "It's a perfect swindle...heh heh heh..." he finished and Diamond continued to watch him with worry. "That doesn't matter! He still answered incorrectly! We win the game!" Kyu said with determination to prove them wrong.

"Too bad for you...I chose the Kyu door!" he said, lifting his hand from the other coin which indeed said Kyu. They reeled back in shock at seeing this. Yami chuckled as he lifted up one of the coins. "The coin I hid under my right hand only had Kyu written on one side...but the other coin, the coin I revealed, had Mei and Kyu written on both sides..." he explained, flipping the coin to show that on one side was Kyu and the other side was Mei.

"I forgot to tell you...one of my hands...doesn't play fair." he said and both brothers growled angrily. _'We lost! They conquered the labyrinth!'_

Like a snap, Ryou was back to himself and looked around in confusion. "What...what just happened?" he asked before looking to Yami. "Did you just win, Yami?" he asked again and Diamond tilt her head in confusion. "Are you ok, Ryou?" she asked and he nodded. Yami looked to him as well.

_'Did Ryou figure out the trap by himself? I had no idea he knew...I was saved by him shouting and distracting them so they wouldn't have known about my double-sided coin...but there has to be more to this.'_ he thought, letting his senses examine the room and then he felt it.

A trace of Bakura's power.

_'No...he couldn't have..._' he thought but knew he couldn't mull over it anymore and looked back to the brothers with a dark look. "Now that we conquered the labyrinth, we have more of a prize in store for me and Aqua." he hissed as he walked around the table and towards them. Yugi helped Aqua up and he started to advance as well.

"Come on. We don't need to be in here when they're ready to feast." Yugi said as they walked over to the door. Jou pushed it opened and they walked out, closing the door behind them, the group only giving a fleeting look to see the brothers trying to run off but was too slow as they pounced, tearing into their flesh voraciously before the door was closed completely.

The door muffled out most of the sounds and they didn't know how long it was before the door opened once more and both Yami and Aqua walked through. "Next stop: Pegasus' Castle." Yami said, licking away the blood from his mouth before they started leaving out of the cave and towards Pegasus' castle.

* * *

Zypher: And that the end of this very long chapter. I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter but my mind just kept denying me to work on this so I spent some time working on other updates but here's this one to satisfy all that have been waiting. Now, time for another Duel Monsters story, mainly focused on the happening in Yami and Yugi's deck but I may just add in a smidgen of what happened in Jou's deck as well.

* * *

Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's deck

Mahaado quickly made his way to the warriors dorm infirmary after the battle was won by Yami and Jou, his heart pounding fast as he worried about the condition of the elven warrior. Once he made it there, Gaia looked to him before nodding to him, opening the door and Mahaado ran inside. "Celtic!" he called as he looked to the bed where the elf laid. He was bandaged around his chest and waist and was dressed in more comfortable clothing compared to the clothing that he wore under his armor.

Mahaado walked over to the bed and looked down into the sleeping face of the warrior. _'Celtic.'_ He sighed softly and sat down on the side of the bed. "If only I could've helped you before you were devoured by that worm but I was on the other side of the wall and couldn't get to you." He sighed again and reached down to grab the other's hand and stayed silent. "I failed to protect you, Celtic. I failed." he whispered. He looked up when he felt his hand being gripped and looked down to see Celtic was awake and looking up to him with a smile.

"You didn't fail me, Mahaado. You may not have been there for me but you at least help Yami-sama and Jou-sama to win the fight and help Aqua-sama. That's means much more to me than to protect me from some underground worm." Celtic spoke, smiling up to him still. Mahaado nodded and gave a small smile, gripping Celtic's hand. They stayed like that for a while longer before Mahaado stood and brought out his staff. He started to whisper a healing spell as he waved it over him, the gem glowing as the magic did its work, healing the wound just enough so that Celtic was able to battle in the next duel Yami fights in.

Once he was done, he sat the staff beside him and looked down to him. Celtic looked up to him and smiled once more. "Thanks, Mahaado-kun." Mahaado nodded and stroke a few stands of blond hair from his face before leaning down to kiss him softly. "No problem. Just get some rest and your wounds should be fine before the next duel." he said and Celtic nodded before he got comfortable once more and soon fell asleep. Mahaado watched as he went to sleep before getting up and leaving out the room, nodding over to Gaia.

"He's sleeping now. I used some healing magic so he should be fine by the time Yami-sama is ready for another duel." Mahaado said and he nodded. "I'll watch over him for you. You should go and rest yourself, Mahaado." Gaia said and he nodded as he left the warriors' dorm, taking a fleeting look back before he made his way back to the magicians' dorm so he could get some rest himself and let his magic recuperate after that last duel.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for now. Would've made it longer or at least add a little tidbit from Jou's deck but as always, my mind started to leave me bit by bit so I hope you enjoyed this at least. Will try and get the next chapter up sooner but that all depends so I will see you all later.


	12. Duel of Fate, part 1

Zypher: Well, here we are once again. I know it been a long, long time since I updated but even with the manga, my creative ideas are still failing me but hopefully things turn out better. Anywho, glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter so here's another for you. Also, although still sore from last time thanks to that annoying reviewer (which is now causing me to lose all reason to add Malik into my stories because of her but I'll try to keep him in my stories), I'm still willing to do a one-shot story for Jou for his birthday but I'm short on ideas. If you can, please give me some ideas and I'll choose the best one to start up a story on. With this, it'll probably be the start of a long, birthday one-shot story so I won't have to add in each story individually. So please, send in what you got since I have about a week to try and get it done and out on time.

As for this chapter, read on.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 12

* * *

After the duel between Yami, Jou and the Meikyu Brothers, the group of friends were now on their way towards Pegasus' Castle once more, Yami and Jou's Duel Gauntlets now filled with the star chips required to enter.

As they walked down the hall, Jou took a glance to his left and snorted. He smashed a fist against the other door that also led to the hall. "Damn...now that we're on the other side, we just now learn that both doors lead to the same place and it was those brothers that were trying to trick us and play us that both doors could lead to a dead end." Jou mumbled. "Bunch of liars."

"Either way, we can't relax yet. We may have found the way out but we don't know for sure if this path leads above ground." Yugi spoke, stroking the back of Aqua's neck as he rode upon his back while the traversed along the path. "You never know if this path would lead us to the castle dungeon or something." Honda shivered at the thought of being led somewhere else.

_'Let's hope it isn't a pit of snakes or something.'_ Was his timid thought. They were quiet for a while longer before Yugi took off his bag and opened it, reaching inside for the 8mm player and turned it on, bringing up his grandfather's image and said grandparent smiled. "Ah, hello, my boy. How's the tournament going?" he asked.

"We're on our way to Pegasus' Castle now. Just hold on, Yami will defeat him and we'll return your soul back into your body."

"Yugi," Sugoroku spoke. "I don't want you to worry about me. Neither do I want Yami to worry. To be a true champion, you can't be afraid of losing. When you overcome that, your true strength will show. Do you understand?" Yugi nodded. "I understand, jii-chan." Sugoroku nodded before they said their goodbyes and Yugi cut off the player, putting it back in his bag.

"Hmm, I wonder. Do you think any other duelists arrived at the castle by now?" Diamond asked. Jou shrugged. "Who knows." he said. "What about Kaiba? I know he isn't in the tournament but he was heading that way. Do you think they'll let him in even though he doesn't have any star chips?" Zella asked, looking to them.

"Again, who knows." Jou said again before looking up, seeing some light near the end of the path and grinned. "There's the exit! At long last we can finally leave out this underground maze of paths!" he said with a cheer as he ran ahead. "Finally. I don't know how long it would be before I went insane being down there." Diamond said with a soft chuckle as they followed the hyped blonde up the stairs that led outside.

* * *

-2nd Day of Tournament, 4:20 PM-

Rushed footsteps raced towards a certain room within the annex where a certain person waited with a certain hostage. "Is Mr. Croquet alright?" One of the guards asked as he and Saruwatari came to a stop in front of the room. "He's still held hostage in the guest room!" Another shouted and Saruwatari growled. "Curse you, Kaiba!" Saruwatari hissed. Within the guest room, Croquet was currently cuffed, kneeling down on the floor with his head caught within Kaiba's briefcase, exactly where Kaiba had trapped him the night before.

"H-Help..." he croaked, not struggling in the slightest to not only cause him to crack his neck in someway but to prevent Kaiba from doing the same, only in a more gruesome way. "Kaiba! Let Croquet go!" Saruwatari shouted, standing away from the opening of the door so he won't risk getting shot since Kaiba was armed. And very dangerous. "You know he won't let him go until he see who he wants to see. Bring Pegasus and he'll let him go." Ruby said, more dignified than the other for the moment although he too is determined to go to great lengths to save Mokuba.

"You heard him. Waste anymore time and I'll snap his so-called adviser's pretty little neck!"

Saruwatari flinched at the threat and looked to the other guards. "Did you inform Pegasus-sama about this little predicament?" One nodded. "Yes! But he only told us that he would come when the time was right..." The guards explained and Saruwatari sneered angrily.

_'What is Pegasus-sama thinking?'_ he thought. Still sitting calmly within the seat, gun in hand and ready to shoot, Kaiba glanced down at Croquet. "We both know you have Mokuba here. Or do you wish to keep denying the fact while your life's at stake?" he taunted slyly.

"I-I d-d-don't know..." he whispered shakily. "I-I'm telling you the truth."

Kaiba huffed. "I already took all my important cards from my briefcase. If you would like to continue playing this little game with you life, I'll be happy to end it and simply wash the blood off from the duralumin case afterward." Kaiba hissed lowly.

Croquet only groaned, feeling more pressure being placed onto his neck. _'Before I2 can take over Kaiba Corp., we need that key Mokuba swallowed. But if we make Kaiba any more impatient, I'm going to loose my head literally and if we tell them where Mokuba is, the whole plan will be ruined.'_ Croquet thought and gave another strained choke as Kaiba pressed harder on the briefcase.

_'How did I let this happen?'_

-Flashback-

_'Last night, they came to the castle.'_

"That's right, sir. The only way to open this gate is to put ten star chips in the mechanism. In other words, only the few chosen who survive the duels are allowed to pass this gate." He then turned to Ruby and Kaiba. "You two and I are no exception." Kaiba growled again and Croquet laughed, bowing down to him. "Now, if you don't mind, there is a room for you two in the annex...please step this way..."

After he spoke those words, he was knocked clear of his feet from Kaiba's briefcase. "You must be joking?" he roared angrily as Saruwatari came towards them. "Mr. Croquet!" he shouted, pulling out his gun but Kaiba grabbed a fistful of Croquet's shirt and held the gun he took from the guard that tried to assassinate him and Ruby on the helicopter at his head.

"Saruwatari, is it? You should know it's because of Kaiba Corp's special employee training that you know how to even wield a gun. I wonder if you ever finish that course. Maybe I should teach you the proper way to fire a gun by splattering his brains onto the pavement." he spoke, pressing the gun closer to Croquet's temple and he gulped in fear.

"St...Stop! Saruwatari, put your gun down!" he shouted. "Just look at his eyes! He's serious about taking up to his threat!" Saruwatari growled before letting his gun drop from his hand and Kaiba dropped Croquet onto the ground unmercifully but still held the gun to his head. "Carry my case to the guest room. You'll be my hostage until we see Pegasus." Croquet nodded, terrified of the other teen before standing, picking up Kaiba's case and led him and Ruby to the guest room within the annex.

-End Flashback-

_'Pegasus-sama...Pegasus, hurry and save me!'_

* * *

In his private quarters, Pegasus was waiting silently. Soon, a ringing sound was heard and a slender finger pressed a small button on the screen built into his desk. The image of one of his guards appeared and he waited quietly for the report he was waiting for. "Sir, we received a report that Yami has collected ten star chips and is now on his way to the castle." The guard spoke and Pegasus smiled.

"Excellent!" he spoke with a happy tone before a sly look crossed his face. "I was waiting for this moment! Thataboy, Yami! I just knew you could do it! However, your road to your goal may appear longer than you think. This little game of mine is just too enjoyable to end so soon." he spoke softly with a chuckle as he reached out and pressed another button. "Now I do believe I have another guest waiting."

He pressed another button and the screen now showed a side view of Kaiba and he grinned. "Hello there, Kaiba-boy!" he greeted joyfully and both Kaiba and Ruby looked over to the screen that showed Pegasus. "Pegasus!" Kaiba hissed and Pegasus frowned.

"Oh Kaiba-boy, you disappoint me. Now where did you learn such manners when in a person's home?" he questioned mockingly. "Save the small talk, Pegasus. We both know that while Kaiba was in a coma state and I was gone, you tried to take over Kaiba Corp. and abducted our little brother." Ruby stated.

"Now give him back!" Kaiba responded afterward.

Pegasus chuckled before looking to them. "Well, sure. I'll return him to you both...under one simple condition." he spoke and Kaiba sneered angrily. "What's your condition?" Pegasus laughed again as he untied the navy blue tie around his neck.

"You should know...you and he are like the separate ends of this tie. If you tie it together, they pull tightly against each other and share the same fate. Bound together, each straining against one another." He tied the tie back together before smirking. "The time has come...for two duelists to intersect and fight once again."

Kaiba's eyes widened as he realized what the condition was. "You...you don't mean." Pegasus nodded. "Yes, I do. If you want to get Mokuba back, you must defeat Yami." he responded and Ruby gasped. _'No. Kaiba lost against him before and chances are he may lose again. But even if he did, I'm sure that Yami would save Mokuba himself but then again...'_

He turned to look at Kaiba. _'This is his problem, a family problem, and he's not going to give this goal away so easily.' _he thought. "You don't seem so convinced to fight Yami once more. Maybe this little image from the surveillance cameras will make you change your mind." Pegasus spoke as he pressed another button and the screen switched to that of a view of the dungeons.

The camera scaled for a while before coming upon the view of Mokuba locked up in chains and ragged from his struggling to get free when Saruwatari caught him the last time. "Mokuba!" Kaiba shouted.

In the dungeon, Mokuba was silent and motionless. _'Big brother...I...I wish you could come and save me but...you're probably still in that wheelchair back at the mansion. Not moving. Not talking. I'll protect your company with my life til Ruby comes back. They'll never get the key from me! When you come back, it'll be waiting for you.'_ he thought before reaching into his shirt and took out a small locket and opened it, revealing a portion of an old portrait, the last thing they had before Kaiba became the way he is now.

_'Yami said at Death-T that you'll come back when you solve the puzzle of your heart...'_ He gazed down at the picture with hope. _'I placed the other half around your neck...as long as you have that, I know that you'll come back...that's all I'm wishing for. Is for the both of you to come back to me. Please big brother, solve the puzzle of your heart...'_

"Mokuba!" Kaiba called as the screen shifted back to Pegasus and he looked down, going silent. Ruby too was silent but was alert for anything that wasn't Pegasus' voice or Croquet's moans of agony. "Saruwatari, give dear Kaiba the things we were talking about." Pegasus spoke and he nodded as he walked in, wary of any movement from Kaiba before reaching into his pocket and pulled a handful of something from his pocket and tossed them to the floor.

They rung with a soft clatter and Kaiba looked over to see what they were. "Those are five star chips. Just what you need to enter inside the castle. Wager those chips against Yami and win then I'll let you into my castle and tell you where Mokuba is."

Kaiba growled softly but stood either way, removing his foot from his case and giving time for Croquet to scramble away. Saruwatari helped him up and released the cuffs around his wrists as Ruby reached for the star chips.

After picking up all five, he handed them over to Kaiba and said teen sent a glare towards Pegasus' image upon the screen. "I will do this duel so I can gain entry within the castle but don't forget...you too also have this little "tie of fate" wrapped around your neck as well!" he hissed before he strolled out the room with the other right behind him, Pegasus chuckling as they made their exit.

* * *

"Wahoo! We're finally out of that cave!" Honda cheered before looking around. "Now, where are we on the island?"

They looked around for a bit before Yugi spotted what they long wished to get to. "Look there! We're right at the steps of the castle!" he said happily and they all smiled. "We finally made it. We have our ten star chips so now, its time to enter the castle." Jou spoke and Yami nodded, smile fading as he felt a familiar presence waiting for them at the top of the stairs. They started making their way up but were in for a surprise when they found who was there. "Kaiba!" Jou growled. "What the heck are you doing standing there?"

He didn't speak a word and Jou growled again. "You don't think that he switched to Pegasus' side...? Do you?" Zella asked softly. "I bet he did! He's rotten to the core so he'll sell out anyone!" Jou declared. "Impossible." A voice spoke and Ruby came from behind the stoic teen. "He didn't switch sides because he already despise Pegasus enough as it is." he continued.

"Then why is he blocking our way into the castle?" Jou demanded and was about to walk forward when Yami held a hand up. "At ease, Jou-kun. Let me speak." Yami said and Jou huffed before nodding, amber eyes still glaring at the other. Yami stepped forward and finally, Kaiba started to speak.

"Yami, I see you have filled your gauntlet. I knew the opponents you faced were no match for your power. But of course, there is only one that can beat you...and that will be me!" he spoke, Ruby giving a sigh at the proclamation. _'So, you still bare your fangs to me, Kaiba.'_ Yami eyes narrowed. _'Then I'll do the same until you learn what it is to be a true duelist!'_ Yugi gripped onto the spines on the back of Aqua's neck as he looked up to him. "Kaiba, please stop this senseless fighting!" he cried, not wanting to see either of them hurt.

"I can't and I won't! The winds of battle blow in the place were Yami and I will fight. This a challenge neither of us can back away from." he said and Jou snarled angrily as he tried to get to Kaiba but Honda, Ryou and Kaiser held him back. "Winds of fate? Just let me at him and I'll make him see stars instead!" he growled, trying to get free but as he struggled, Kaiba peeked a glance towards his gauntlet and saw that he too had enough star chips to enter.

_'So he gained ten star chips. I should congratulate him...but not in front of his friends. I just can't demean myself in front of them. Especially with the challenge I'm wagering against Yami.'_ he thought before placing a cold smirk on his face.

"So you collected ten star chips...I would congratulate you if you still were nothing but scum under my shoe. So instead, I'll promote you from a loser to a deadbeat!" he mocked and Jou struggled even more within the grip of his friends. "Deadbeat! I'll show you who's a deadbeat!"

Kaiba paid no more mind to Jou and looked back to Yami. "It's a miracle to see. At first, I always wondered, why did I lose at Death-T? My very own creation where I was the master of every movement. Then I realized...it was just that something. That simple something that presses you on to fight and win. And now, the same thing is pressing me to enter into the castle and save Mokuba! Yami, this is now the duel of fate! Whoever wins gains entry into Pegasus' Castle!" As he spoke, sapphire eyes burned with a hidden fire and Yami saw it.

_'So, he isn't the same person I remember from the past. He has changed greatly and now with Mokuba's life threaten in the clutches of Pegasus, he will do everything his being can to save him.'_ Yugi hopped off Aqua's back and ran over to Yami's side.

"Please, Yami! Don't risk it! You have your ten star chips. Lets just go ahead and enter." he whispered. "He can't bypass this, pipsqueak!" Saruwatari spoke as he walked out. "Only one of them can enter and this duel will decide it. Either Yami enters or Kaiba enters, not both."

"There's no way to pass this, my koi. I have to if we want to get inside the castle." Yami whispered, stroking Yugi's head softly and Yugi nodded as he stepped back. Aqua walked over to him and gently nuzzled his side, Yugi reaching down to caress his cheek softly. Yami looked back to Yugi before turning his heated gaze back to Kaiba. "I accept this challenge, Kaiba! And I will win!"

"We'll see about that. Follow me to the stage of our battle!" Kaiba spoke as he left with Ruby trailing behind him and the others followed.

* * *

"Here you go! Ten star chips!" Keith spoke as he stood at the locked door of the castle. The guard verified them and nodded. "Ok. You are permitted to enter into the castle." he spoke and Keith nodded. _'So, I'm the first one here.'_ he thought before looking up towards the castle wall where he saw an oh so familiar group. "So, they got out of the cave...and it looks like something interesting's about to happen. I better get front row seats for this little show." he whispered as he started making his way to get a good view of the battlefield.

With Yami and Kaiba, they were already equipped with the Duel Disks while the others watched from the small steps that led to where they battled. "We'll each bet five star chips in this duel. Remember, only one can enter the castle." Kaiba spoke and Yami nodded, taking five star chips from his gauntlet.

"For this duel, we'll be using my patented duel disk but only it won't be so easy as it was when I went against Jounouchi." Kaiba explained. "What do you mean by 'not so easy'?" Jou declared angrily, still pissed that Yami had to go through this duel just to get inside the castle.

"Unlike you, the system's been set to expert mode which is a big change from the beginner mode that I had when I went against you. Of course, that was only a test." He looked to Yami who was fitting the deck holder over his wrist before looking back up. "Now, place your deck into the deck holder! We'll be battling with 2000 life points."

After a quick shuffle, Yami placed his deck within the deck holder and nodded. "Alright then, let the duel commence!" They drew their five cards and placed their first monster into the field. Yami with Curse of Dragon and Kaiba with Ryu-Kishin Powered.

"Time for the first battle, Yami!" Kaiba spoke as he threw his Duel disk to the center of the field.

"Let's just see who wins!" Yami roared as he did the same and both monsters materialized onto the field along with the cards the had in hand. "Wh-Whoa...is this really expert mode?" Kaiser asked and Ruby nodded. "Yes. Seto prided himself with the creation of the Duel Disk and from Beginner to Expert, he didn't put any stops to how the duel will commence." he explained and Kaiser nodded.

"Now, I'll start! My Ryu-Kishin Powered will attack!" Kaiba said before chuckling. "Of course, I can guess that you all must be thinking I'm crazy to try and attack the Curse of Dragon but my target won't be that. Instead, my dear cybernetic gargoyle will attack that card!" he shouted, pointing to said card.

"Powered Beam!"

The gargoyle gave a mighty roar before releasing a powerful beam of energy towards the card, easily destroying the covered Feral Imp and lowering Yami's life points down to 1700. "This is crazy! He can attack the cards directly?" Honda exclaimed and Ruby nodded once more. "Only one of the many features to expert mode."

Kaiba smirked. "Easy enough but of course, there is a slight risk with attacking face down cards that are unknown to us. If its a high attack monster, you'll run the risk of killing yourself. But it seems luck was on my side and I got rid of one of your weaker monsters!" Yami sneered slightly, knowing that as long as his cards were in attack position, he can risked being attacked and losing more life points but he grinned at the thrill of it.

"Fine then. I understand your little game. Now it's time to settle this once and for all!" From the shadows, Keith watched, a smirk on his face at seeing two high ranked duelists battling it out. "Man, this must be the ultimate duel on this island next to the final battle against Pegasus. "Kaiba or Yami, whoever wins gets to enter Pegasus castle. This is going to be fun to watch." he spoke with a soft snicker.

"Come on, Yami! You can win against him!" Honda called from the sidelines. "Yeah! I know you can do it, koi!" Yugi added. "I can understand we have the same objective, Yami, but if you really want to see him defeated, its best you lose to me right here!" Kaiba said and Yami's eyes narrowed. "You see here. This is my latest technology to go up against Pegasus! I know he has some sort of ability to read minds and I may not know how its possible but with this, he won't be able to do it so easily! I will bury him in his own grave with my own two hands!"

"Save you boasting after you win! but don't think it'll be so easy!" Yami interrupted. "Now let's continue this duel!" He drew his card them looked to the field. _'My Curse of Dragon can easily overpower his monster but I could also aim for one of his unknown cards but that'll be placing a big wager that it's not stronger than my monster. And not only that but if he has a spell card that could increase Ryu-Kishin's power, then my dragon won't be a match for it.'_

Kaiba watched him calmly but knew exactly what his thoughts were and knew that Yami quickly adapted to the use of the Duel Disk system quite quickly. _'Now prove to me that you are more worthy than me to challenge Pegasus.'_ he thought before deciding to add fuel to the fire.

"What's wrong, Yami? Why don't you trust you demonic instincts and attack my monster. If you really think there's a spell card that would help my monster in my sub cards, then attack them instead." he taunted and Yami snorted angrily. _'I may not have any cards to power up my dragon but to keep him from getting anything stronger, the best thing is to attack!'_ he thought.

"Go, Accursed Dragon! Attack his gargoyle!" Yami commanded and Curse of Dragon roared in agreement. "Flames of Hell!" The dragon let out a stream of hellfire, easily incinerating Kaiba's gargoyle and decreasing his life points down to 1600 but Kaiba wasn't fazed by the attack.

"I knew you would come at me with no fear. Worth the first blow to make sure that you weren't actually quivering with fear." He drew his card and took a glance at it before bringing the disk back into his hands. "I may have gotten something new but I'll continue to fight with the cards I already have! I send out Swordstalker!" he said as he placed the monster onto the disk and sent it out once more, the purple skinned warrior appearing onto the field.

"Now, there one little flaw with attacking with a sub card monster...no other sub card effects won't work on it so it has to rely on its natural abilities." He smirked. "But luckily, Swordstalker comes with its own handy ability and absorbs the souls of its fallen comrades into its sword and increases its attack points!"

Yami's eyes widened as he heard the explanations. _'That's why he let me defeat his last monster so easily!'_

"Go Swordstalker! Attack his dragon and decimate it!" he commanded and Yami smirked. Before Swordstalker's blade came in contact with Curse of Dragon, it disappeared from the field, halting the others attack. "What? His monster disappeared!" Kaiba spoke in shock. "My machine doesn't have any flaws to it!"

"But of course. It wasn't your machine, it was the power of my spell card, Shift! I can replace one monster on the field with one of my sub cards and I have the perfect one in mind." Yami explained as he placed said card onto the main field. "Go, Black Magician! Attack with Black Magic!" The magician appeared and with a flash of dark magic, Swordstalker was defeated.

"Haha! You should know by now, Kaiba, that underestimate Yami is the fastest way to lose!" Jou cheered. Kaiba only shrugged and brought is disk back once more. "No matter. We'll see just how long he can last. I'll place this card onto the disk and choose another main card. Go!" He sent out the disk and the next monster appeared onto the field.

"La Jinn, the Genie of the Lamp!"

Kaiba gave the turn back to Yami and he nodded, bring the disk back as he drew another card and paced it onto the disk before sending it out again. "Go! Black Magic attack!" Again, the magician leave a wave of the dark magic towards and Kaiba smirked, seeing he fell for the trap.

"Activate trap card! Ancient Lamp!" The mystic lamp appeared onto the field and La Jinn was sucked into the dark depths of the item just as Black Magician's magic collided on the golden surface and bounced back. "Now, your attack is reflected right back and hit one of your own cards!" The attacked hit and the card flipped over, revealing Curse of Dragon. "And your dragon's destroyed!"

Yami growled as his life points decreased to 1200 but smirked, some of his demon features starting to show just from the thrill of the duel. Keith continued to watch, smirking. "One step forward and one step back...this is a interesting back and forth duel." he said, laughing.

"Amazing...you were able to trap me so I applaud you for a feat not many can succeed with." he said and Kaiba smirked. _'You may say that now but you have yet to see the real trap. The heart of my deck is my three dragons but you have yet to see another form they can take. Be prepared for soon, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon will be upon you!'_

"That was a very smart move. I have yet to see someone trap Yami so easily." Yugi whispered. "Yes, it is a true feat but the game only getting started, koi. They still have a long way before the end." Aqua spoke. "Are you ready?" Kaiba called across the field, knowing that soon, he will assemble the only thing that will lead to Yami's demise.

And he's only one card away with one Blue Eyes already in hand. Yami nodded and Kaiba drew his next card. "My trap card's effect is over so my monster returns to the field and the Ancient Lamp returns to my hand. But of course, my genie is no match for your magician so I have no choice but to attack your cards! Genie Fire Burial!"

The genie let out a stream of flames, destroying Yami's Swords of Revealing Light and Yami snarled. Kaiba once again smirked at his luck. _'Good. I got rid of the annoyance so he can't plan a strategy within three turns while my monsters are trapped.'_ he thought.

"Now, my turn is over but I surely can't leave my Ancient Lamp exposed and I just can't let you do that so I'll shuffle my hand!" he spoke, the card flipping back over and the cards shuffled across Kaiba's side of the field and he grinned mockingly. "Now just guess which one is my Lamp!"

"We'll see. My turn!" Yami said as he brought the disk back and drew a card. "So, what do you think Yami will do? With that combination of La Jinn and the Ancient Lamp, he will lose more of his cards if he tries attacking again." Ryou spoke.

"He'll find a way! I know it!" Jou said. Yami glanced at the card and smirked. "First, I'll set this card," he started, placing the card onto the field. "Toss in the disk." Kaiba's grin only widened. Go on and try to attack me! You should know my trap card will only activate again and protect my monster!"

Yami only chuckled darkly, crimson eyes darkening. "Your combo ends here." he whispered and Kaiba eyes widened. "I activate my spell card, Eye of Truth!" The card flipped over and he gasped. _'Not the Eye of Truth!'_

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I'll just flip you hand over and see what card I need to destroy." Kaiba's cards were flipped over but the trap card wasn't the only thing he spotted. _'The Blue Eyes White Dragon! He already has one in his hand!'_ Yami thought. "He has a Blue Eyes? Already!" Honda shouted in surprised.

"Well, at least the good thing is that he doesn't have all three yet." Zella responded and Ryou looked to her. "All three? I don't think Yami will be able to handle all three Blue Eyes! No one could ever accomplish defeating a deck with them in there." he spoke.

"He defeated them before and he will do it again. I know it!" Yugi said, hoping to enlighten the group once more from the fate of Kaiba relinquishing all three of his Blue Eyes onto the field. "Yeah! Yugi's right! We believe in Yami and we know he can defeat those Blue Eyes!" Jou declared and they nodded. Ruby listened quietly but knew that they were wrong. _'If only you knew what he's really going to summon. It isn't all three of the Blue Eyes but something even powerful than them.'_

Yami was surprised to see the dragon in his hand but was questioning why he didn't use it as his main monster. They all knew that the dragon would've easily broke through all of his defenses without breaking a sweat. His eyes narrowed. _'There has to be a reason.'_ he thought. On the other end, Kaiba was fuming. _'The ultimate humiliation! Revealing my cards for all the see! I hoped to keep my Blue Eyes hidden until I drew Polymerization and fuse my three dragons together.'_ His eyes turned to slits, anger riling high.

_'Just you wait, Yami. You have already humiliated me but soon, I'll return the humiliation thricefold!'_

But unlucky for him, Yami already caught onto his plan. _'Now, if I was a pompous opponent with the three strongest monsters in the entire card game, I would try to merge them together and create the ultimate beast. Now my problem is how to stop it from happening cause I know it won't be so easy but for now, I need to get rid of his combo before I focus on his Blue Eyes.'_ he contemplated.

"Now! I activate my other spell card, Mystic Box of Death!" he spoke and two boxes appeared, one around Kaiba's Ancient Lamp and the other around the Black Magician. Never seeing a combo like this, Kaiba was a little surprised. Yami grinned as he looked to the two boxes.

"Now, I know this may look a little unsafe for those untrained in the art of magic but I'd like to bring some more entertainment to our duel. Of course, I would need a volunteer." he said as the swords that appeared around the box skewered it and the monsters inside, making Kaiba gasp.

"You risked the life of your own monster for a trick!" he exclaimed. "Oh no. I wouldn't do that. I had another in mind. Specifically your card!" he said and the box opened, revealing his trap card skewered by the swords. The other box opened as well and out came the Black Magician. The magician smirked down at Kaiba, waving a finger at him as to silence his question before he attacked La Jinn and destroying it.

Kaiba growled as his life points reached 800. "I know what you're planning, Kaiba, and I'm not going to let you combine your three Blue Eyes into one!" Yami declared and Kaiba growled before chuckling. "So, you found out when I thought you didn't even know after seeing my Blue Eyes...well then, try if you can. But I assure you, this strategy is flawless and you won't break it so easily!" he said before bringing his disk back.

"My turn!" He drew two cards and smirked. _'Let me show you an even more terrifying combo. The ultimate murder combo!' _He placed that and another card onto the disk before sending it back out. The disk projected the monster, revealing it to be Saggi the Dark Clown, only in defense.

_'Saggi the Dark Clown! Why would he bring out such a weak monster?'_ Yami thought before he heard Kaiba starting to speak again. "I play my Saggi the Dark Clown in defense. Turn over!" Yami watched the monster warily. Again, they all knew that the monster's defense was no match for Yami's magician but only Ruby knew there was a secret lying within and if Yami attacked, it will demolish his deck greatly.

He wasn't the only one, Yami felt that there was something wrong with the monster but couldn't place what. _'You can sit there all you like but I'll keep Saggi on the field until you catch the bait! You're trapped Yami and this time, you won't be able to reverse it!'_

"My turn! Draw!" Yami said as he drew his cards. _'Gaia the Fierce Knight and Multiply! These will come in handy!'_ he thought as he brought back in his disk. "I replace my main card with Gaia the Fierce Knight!" he said as he switched the magician with the warrior and Gaia's horse gave a whinny, waiting for orders.

"Go! Spiral Saber!" The horse rose up on its haunches before galloping forward, Gaia preparing to attack and Kaiba smirked, seeing that Yami easily fell for the bait. The clown gave a wailing death cry as it was cut into pieces but it didn't leave the field without leaving the trap. Both Gaia and his horse wailed in pain as the trap took effect and Yami gasped. _'What happened?'_

His monster start to disappear and he looked to his hand, seeing that the same was happening to his Black Magician. _'What did I unleash?'_ From the sidelines, Yugi gasped. "Oh no! What did Kaiba use this time?" Yugi cried. He laughed as he let the trap card reveal itself. "You must be wondering what you unleashed. Well here it is! The virus card!" Kaiba said and Yami's eyes widened.

"Yes! I infected Saggi with it since I know, just like your hunting instincts, you can't resist easy prey! I knew that you would attack and now that you did, you have sealed not just the fate of your hand and field but your entire deck! All cards over 1500 attack points will die!"

"No!"

"Man, this is bad! Yami can't win when he's badly handicapped like this!" Honda spoke. "Looks like Kaiba will win and enter the castle while we're left outside." Yugi whispered before clutching his eyes closed, trying to will away the tears that was about to gather in his eyes. _'Jii-chan...'_ he thought sadly, unaware he sent the feeling through the link and both Yami and Aqua felt his inner turmoil.

_'Yugi...I can't fail...I can't fail you again...I won't let him win...I can't...'_ His thoughts were jumbled up just from Yugi's turmoil alone and he had only one goal in mind. Virus or no virus. Fangs clenched together angrily as fire swam through dark, demonic crimson eyes.

To defeat Kaiba by all mean necessary.

_Nothing_ will hold him back.

_**Nothing.**_

But he didn't know how utterly wrong he was for deciding this.

* * *

Zypher: There, done and now I have a crick in my neck. Oh well, it'll go away after I get some rest. Anywho, hoped you enjoyed and I'll get started with the next chapter as soon as possible and throw it in the mix with my updates to Chains of the Seal. Don't forget, send it any ideas you come up with for Jou's birthday one-shot and I'll pick the best out of them. (if you guys even take the time to send some in -blanches-) See you soon.


	13. Duel of Fate, part 2

Zypher: Well hello everybody. Welcome to another chapter and the continuation to our precious duel. Thanks for the reviews and to answer some questions, one, you'll be surprised at what happens after Kaiba enters the castle (yes, Kaiba will still win the duel) but you won't find out till then and second, Red Dragon, I kinda forgot myself but Keara's dragon's form will be revealed way before the Duelist Kingdom portion is over. Just got to find a spot to reveal it. Anywho, again, glad you all enjoyed the last and here's the second half for you.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 13

* * *

_'He will die...he has forced me to lose all my powerful monsters and without them, I may lose and then Yugi will never see his grandfather again...'_ Yami thought, snarling angrily as he stared at the smug face of his opponent on the other end of the field. Kaiba chuckled mentally, glad that he was able to disable Yami's deck with the Crush Card virus.

"You sneaky bastard! It's not fair to use biological warfare!" Jou shouted from the sidelines, knowing that Yami must be equally pissed by the demonic features showing and the angry gleam in his eye. _'If I didn't know better, he won't care about Kaiba's life this time around.'_

"This is bad. Yami is forced to only fight with spell, trap and low level monster cards while Kaiba is still ready and able to use his three Blue Eyes White Dragons whenever! I don't think Yami will be able to win this!" Ryou said, worry etching over his pale face.

"There has to be a way!"

"We'll just see. I know from his expression alone that Yami isn't going to give up, even with his deck disassembled like this." Ruby spoke and Yugi looked over to him before nodding and turning back to the duel. _'I know you're angry Yami but please, don't do anything rash.' _he thought as the duel continued on. From his spot, Keith gave a menacing grin.

_'Looks like Kaiba was planning on destroying Yami's deck from the beginning. Slick move. Now all he needs to do is play one high-level monster and Yami will be on his knees.'_

"Well, well. Neither of us has any monsters on the field. Now draw two cards and lets see what your pathetic deck can give you!" Yami snarled as drew his cards. The cards were Silver Fang and Summoned Skull and just like the other cards, it disappeared because of its high attack power. "I play Silver Fang in defense." he said before ending his turn.

"My turn! I draw two cards and bring back the disk." he said, slinging the machine back into his hand. He grinned, successfully getting his second Blue Eyes with his draw and was only missing the final one and Polymerization to bring out the beast that will decimate Yami and his life points. "I play Battle Ox in attack mode!" he called, sending out the disk again and the bull-formed monster appeared.

"Go and kill Silver Fang!" The ox roared and charged for the defensive wolf and Silver Fang gave a howl of defeat as it was slashed in half and disappeared form the field. "Man, this isn't going well! Kaiba's going to slowly torture him until he's out of life points!" Honda whispered.

Kaiba laughed with malicious glee. "You're way out of your league now! Even my Battle Ox with a mere 1700 attack points is no match for your weak cards!" Yami hissed angrily, anger flaring high with each taunt but Kaiba seemed to be having too much fun to realized he starting to really put his life in danger.

_'Soon, I'll win. Maybe I won't have to bring out my ultimate Blue Eyes but just to spite him, I will do so anyway and make him wallow in the pits of defeat.'_ He then looked to his hand, grinning. _'And he won't be able to take me down so easily. Not as long as I have the Gift of the Mystical Elf within my hand.'_

_'All I have now is Horn of the Unicorn, Monster Recovery and Multiply. But even with weak monsters, I won't give up until he defeats me and even that won't be an easy feat.'_ Yami thought before drawing his two cards and grinned. He brought back the disk and set out the cards before sending them out. "I send out Griffor!" he called and Kaiba smirked. "But I'm not done." Yami said slyly and the smirk was wiped from his face.

"What!"

"No. I now equip him with Horn of the Unicorn, making him much more powerful than you minotaur! Now go! Attack with Griffor Arrow!" The beast gave a snarl before the electricity gathered into its horn was unleashed, shocking Battle Ox right off the field and Yami grinned, showing deadly fangs. _'Take that, Kaiba!'_

"So, you defeated Battle Ox with a combo. I should thank you for doing so." Kaiba jeered.

"Will you ever shut up! You should know, the longer you hold out a duel with Yami, the more painful your defeat is!" Jou shouted. _'He does have a point.'_ Ruby thought, remembering to the duel Kaiba had with him the last two times. Kaiba chuckled, knowing full well of that little bit of information._ 'But we'll just see if Yami will be more ferocious than ever with me toying around with him.'_ Kaiba thought, a menacing grin on his face.

"Before I draw, I'll play this magic card! Gift of the Mystical Elf!" A sprinkle of magic floated around Kaiba, bringing his life points up to 900. "There. Now I'm healed from the petty blow from your last attack. I draw!" he said and when he drew his two cards, his grin became even wider. _'Great...I have everything I need to conclude my plans and defeat Yami once and for all.'_

He brought back the disk and placed one of his Blue Eyes on the field. _'Just place one out and the merge them on my next turn. Then I'll be undefeatable. At last!'_ He threw the disk out into the battlefield once more and the echoing roar of the dreaded Blue Eyes was heard by everyone. "Now, it's time for your demise!" Kaiba's spoke and everyone on the side was now downhearted, even Ruby.

"He did it...he finally sent out the Blue Eyes..." Yugi whispered before burying his face into Aqua's neck and he held him softly. "Yugi, don't think that he will lose just yet. He may be facing the strongest monster in the game but he won't give up so easily."

Yugi looked up to him and seeing truth in his eyes and turned back to the duel, hoping that Yami will win. Not only for his grandfather's sake but Kaiba's life as well. "This is it, Yami. Get ready." Kaiba whispered before sending out the attack. "Go! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

The dragon roared once more before unleashing the deadly blast and destroyed Griffor, decreasing Yami's life points to a mere 100. "So close and yet you still live. Stubborn I should say but it won't last long. Take your turn." spoke Kaiba and Yami growled again before drawing his two cards. "I play this card in defense mode." he hissed before ending his turn.

"Yami...from the moment I met you, I have tasted defeat and now, I hunger for victory. It was never satisfied...until now." he whispered and Ruby's eyes narrowed. _'Here it comes.'_

"Now, my Blue Eyes. Fuse together and create the ultimate beast!" he shouted as the three cards flipped over, revealing the other two Blue Eyes and Polymerization. the group on the side gasped and Yami's eyes widened, seeing that Kaiba finally succeeded with what he had planned from the start. The other two dragons emerged from their cards and a warp-like hole brought them in, fusing them together into one. The result now was a three headed dragon with the highest attack known to them all.

"Look! Look at the beast that will cause your destruction! The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he said with glee as a mad scientist is with his mutant creation. "Three heads...and 4500 attack points...? This was his plan all along?" Jou exclaimed. "Yes..." Ruby whispered. Again, from his place in the shadows, Keith grinned. _'With a dragon like that, this match is over! And I know that Yami kid won't stand a chance against that!'_ Keith thought.

_'It can't be over...but it is. My deck's destroyed, I'm hanging only by 100 life points and that beast has 4500 attack...I failed, I failed again...I don't deserve him...I don't deserve you, Yugi...'_

/I don't deserve you!/ Was shouted through the mind link and Yugi gasped. "Don't say that, Yami! You can find a way! Please, don't say that!" Yugi cried, tears ready to course down his face by the agony and pain he felt from Yami. "Come on, Yami! You can do something! Don't give up here!" Jou called and soon, the others were cheering once more, trying to bring Yami out of the depression he started to fall into.

"I can see it...your eyes shine with defeat. And I'm happy. Now feel it...feel the icy sting of defeat that I felt each time you defeating me. This time, you little idea of how long a duel goes and how much pain it causes turn right back on you! Go, my dragon! Attack!" The dragon heads roared and they each gathered a blast within the center of their open maws.

"Ultimate Burst!"

The dragon released the strong beam of destruction, demolishing his Monster Recovery card instead of his monster. _'Why did he do that! He could've easily destroyed Yami's Giant Stone Soldier. He must be taunting him again.'_ Ruby thought before sighing. _'Why do you have to be this way. You're taking your rage out in the worst way possible.'_

_'That was way to close, if he hit my monster card, I would be dead! I have to do something and now_!' Yami thought. "I killed a stupid spell card...no matter...there's no way out of your predicted defeat, Yami! You can't escape it!" Kaiba spoke. _'I can't lose...not while I have my ultimate monster on the field!'_ He saw Yami hesitating and smirked. "If you don't surrender, draw a card and end it the hard way!"

He growled, fists clenched. "Yami! Don't give up now! You worked so hard and now you're finally at the castle! You said you beat Pegasus and return my grandfather's soul back! Please, don't back out of that promise!" Yugi called and Yami looked over to him. "Jii-chan told me to not be afraid of losing! He said if you can overcome that, then true strength will show! Listen to that advice and you may win!"

"Pah! Your old man's words mean nothing in this situation! He's fated to lose and I'm saving him the humiliation of not losing to Pegasus!" Kaiba interrupted.

"Shut your damn mouth, Kaiba! I had enough of your taunting! I believe in his words and I will kill you!" Yami roared, facing the other and Kaiba would've nearly stepped back in fear if it wasn't for his ability to keep cool even in the worst of dangers. _'So, you want to believe in those words? So be it. I'll crush you still and prove to you that there is no hope!'_

"Yeah! That's the spirit I'm looking for! Show him who the real champ is!" Jou cheered. Yami drew his two cards and looked over them. _'Polymerization and Living Arrow. These cards won't do anything for me right now.'_ He ended his turn and hoped for the best.

Kaiba smirked and drew his two cards before looking at Yami. _'I could attack his covered cards but that would be dangerous just in case he actually does have something to hurt my dragon. So I'll go for the easy target.'_ he thought before commanding his dragon to attack and Yami's Stone Soldier was destroyed but Yami survived this turn because his monster was in defense.

"So, you were safe for this turn but tell me, what are you going to do? There's nothing in your deck that can defeat my ultimate dragon!"

"We'll just see about that. I'll bet my life on this card!" Yami responded before drawing his cards and saw one in particular and smirked. "I've just drew my ultimate card!" he said and Kaiba's eyes widened. "You jest! You don't have a card that can defeat my dragon!" he shouted at the other and Yami's smirk only widened. "See for yourself!" he said, bring back the disk and placing the card onto the main panel before sending it out again. "I place this monster in attack mode!" Kuriboh appeared on the field with a soft coo.

"Are you crazy? That monster surely can't top my dragon! It the weakest monster in the game!" Kaiba exclaimed. "He's right for once! What are you thinking?" Honda added from the sidelines. "That's where you're wrong! Let me demonstrate." he spoke before flipping over another card. "I play the spell card, Multiply!"

"No! This is a trick!"

Yami purred mockingly. "It's not a trick. Multiply duplicates any monster with an attack power of 500 or less." he explained before Kuriboh duplicate until it covered Yami's side of the field. "Th-There's hundreds...thousands of them!" he exclaimed and Yami nodded. "Yes, and don't underestimate it either! Kuriboh had hidden powers that can easily overcome your dragon!"

"No! That's not true! You're a fool for trying! For my dragon, more opponent means more corpses littering the field! Attack with Ultimate burst!" The dragon complied, attacking the wall of Kuriboh but it didn't even break through, only destroyed a few and more took the destroyed ones' places. _'No! They act like a buffer and nulling the force of my dragon's blast! They are like floating mines that keep coming back!'_

"See? The only way you can destroy me is to destroy _all_ of them. Can you succeed with that, Kaiba?" Yami murred, grinning evilly. "And I'm not done yet. Let me introduce my second trump card."

_'Second trump card?'_ Both the group and Kaiba thought.

"Yes. A second trump card. Now let me show you my three part combo to destroy a three headed dragon!" he said, flipping over three more cards. "Mammoth Graveyard, Living Arrow and Polymerization! Now, Living Arrow lets me select one of you spell cards to use against your monsters. But instead, I'll fuse my Mammoth Graveyard with it and send it at your dragon!"

The arrow appeared from the card and fused with the unholy aura of Mammoth Graveyard, it shot towards Kaiba's dragon, leaving Mammoth Graveyard's head emerged from the dragon's stomach and causing it to roar in pain, heads flailing about.

"What did you do?"

"Simple, my mammoth is a dark monster and undead. Mixing it with a living monster causing a deadly reaction that will rot your monster from the inside out and cause it to lose the exact same number of attack points that my mammoth has." Yami spoke before grinning a deadly grin. "The tables have turned and this time, your life is mine!"

"Something's wrong." Aqua whispered and Yugi looked to him. "What do you mean?" he questioned softly. "Yami...his instincts are going haywire. I can tell. When given the chance, he won't hesitate to literally kill Kaiba." he explained and Yugi gasped. "You don't really mean that?" But his fears were confirmed when he nodded.

"I do. His sadness is fueling his rage. He felt sad because me knew if he lost the duel, he would lose all chances to save your grandfather. His rage already peaked from Kaiba's insults and jeering about his abilities in the duel and with that sadness adding into it, he doesn't care what happen. He may look calm right now but once given the moment, he will strike."

_'Oh no...'_

"It's not over! Attack!" Kaiba commanded and the dragon, even with dripping skin, attacked the wall of Kuriboh again but like before, the attack was buffed and more replaced the destroyed. "You can't do a thing now, Kaiba. I made the ultimate virus _and_ the ultimate defense. You pretty much lost now."

_'No...it's not true...but my dragon's getting weaker and these filthy vermin block my every attack. And I already have five cards so I can't draw anymore.'_

"This is checkmate, Kaiba." Yami whispered and soon, his eyes dulled, his mind falling into turmoil. He was only a few turns away before he lost to Yami. He lost the chance to save his brother. This was the only chance he had left.

"Big brother..." Mokuba called and Kaiba turned, following the sounds of his brother's voice and saw him caught in the decaying form of the Blue Eyes. "Big brother! Kaiba! Help me!" he cried. Kaiba only stood there, frozen. "Please, big brother! You can't leave me here! Please, help me!"

As Kaiba stood there, his younger self parted from him and ran towards Mokuba, calling his name. But before he could get close, Mokuba was sucked in and the dragon finally collapsed on itself and his younger self cried out in terror. He went silent them turned to Kaiba, a menacing glare on his face. Kaiba lifted his hand and saw it too was decaying away.

The younger still glared at him and then, he heard it, the maniacal laughter. The laughter of Yami. He came back to the real world with a gasp before taking hold of the locket around his neck, staying silent. The dragon gave another roar as it attack decreased again, leaving it at 2100. Yami looked to him, curious but still enraged from before. _'Do you forfeit your turn?'_ he thought silently.

"He's just standing there! He must be forfeiting!" Kaiser spoke. "He must've accepted defeat!" Yugi watched quietly, hoping that Kaiba did, for the sake of his life. Kaiba's turn ended without a problem and the dragon's attack now decreased to 900. Enough for Yami to make an attack with any monster over that.

"Now I can finally defeat your dragon!" he said, drawing his card and seeing that he got Celtic Guardian. _'Good, just what I needed.'_ he thought. "I banish my wall of Kuriboh and send out my Celtic Guardian!" he said as he brought the disk back and placed the monster into the field and sent it back out, bringing out the elven warrior.

"Attack the ultimate dragon!" The elf complied and charged for the weakened dragon and lobbed off one of its heads, bringing Kaiba down to 400 life points. "His dragon isn't dead yet! How is that possible?" Zella exclaimed. "It was originally made up of three dragon so each has its own attack power. So it won't be destroyed until all three are gone." Ruby explained and she nodded. "So only one more attack and Yami wins."

Kaiba was silent once more but he finally started to speak, voice as clear as a bell. "Yami...I lost 500 life points from your attack." he whispered before he started to step backwards. "So now, I'll move back as many life points that I lost." Ruby gasped, not believing what he was doing. "Seto! What are you up to?" he yelled. Once his heels hit the back of the very small ledge that led to his death, he spoke again. "It's simple, I have nothing more to lose. If Yami attacks again, I'll lose my life and none of you who have wings may be able to catch me in time." he said.

"This is crazy, Seto! Don't do this!" Ruby shouted again.

"No. This is my choice. I'll easily die for the cards if need be. Now here's my question. Will Yami go through with it? He is a demon after all and I can see the rage in his eyes. Just one more hit, Yami, and then I'll be out of your hair for good."

_'Oh no. Nononono. Kaiba, please, don't provoke him. If you only heard what Aqua spoke of, you will know he won't hesitate. You gave him the initiative and now he's going to take it.'_ Yugi thought as he looked back to Yami who look like he was fighting an internal battle with himself and his demon nature.

"You spoiled brat! How could you make a bluff like that? You know you're risking too much here!" Jou yelled. "But...what if it isn't a bluff...?" Ryou whispered. "He went so far as to stand there so if Yami does attack, he may just go with it."

"Yami...on your turn, your worth as a duelist will be tested. Will you let your instincts control your command or will you let me live?" he questioned and Yami's eyes narrowed. "Think of a duel like a mirror. If our roles were reversed, I would push you off without a second thought, wings or not." he said and Yami growled. "But I won't give up. Not just yet. You killed a monster, which means I can draw a new card." He did so and smirked, bringing back the disk and placed the card onto the field before sending it back out. "I'll resurrect my Blue Eyes with Monster Reborn!" A new head grew from the cut where the last one was and it roared, waiting for orders.

"Now, I have to wait one turn so I give the turn to you. This is the moment of truth. Let's see what you do."

_'I can defeat him. Just one more hit and I win...but then I'll risk Kaiba's life and who knows if we'll be able to catch him in time.'_ he thought, trying to juggle the choices. Yugi watched with fear, hoping that Yami will find a way. _'But he's back into a corner. If he attacks, he may kill Kaiba but if he doesn't, he'll lose the duel. Why did Kaiba make things even more difficult.'_ Yugi thought.

Yami closed his eyes and they thought he was going to forfeit his turn but he opened his eyes again, a blood lust gleam in his eyes. "So be it! I'll kill you here and now. Go, Celtic Guardian! Slice off another head of the Blue Eyes!" The monster went to attack and Yugi gasped and before anyone could stop him, he dashed forward.

"Yami! Yami, please! Don't do it! Don't kill him! You can't let your demon self reign over! Remember who you are!" he cried.

"Yugi!" They called and Yami turned, seeing the tear-stained face of his lover and soon, all feeling of killing Kaiba disappeared and he realized what he was about to do. _'No, what have I become...'_ he thought with fear, tears coming to his own eyes before calling out the command.

"Stop!"

Celtic Guardian did so and Yami let the tears run free. _'I can't believe I almost killed him...I became a monster...I let my instincts control my actions...'_ he thought sadly. Yugi stopped, feeling the sadness and pain coursing through the link from Yami and it only made him cry more. From the other side, Kaiba didn't care about the broken form in front of him, only made the attack and the renewed Blue Eyes head opened it jaws and made the attack...

* * *

Zypher: And that's the end. I'm getting tired so no little Duel Monster story this time. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed and for any confusion you find from this chapter, I only followed the book but to answer a few that may pop up:

1. The renewed Blue Eyes head didn't attack on that turn it was brought back because it was part of a fusion and no matter what, fusion monsters can't attack for one turn as said in the manga (and the show as well until a certain season where fusion monsters can attack as soon as they're sent out but I can't remember)

2. Like Aqua mentioned, because of Kaiba's taunting, Yami's demon nature start to rise up and slowly started to consume all rational thought and with the sadness of failing Yugi again and not being able to save his grandfather, that just added fuel to the fire. So, with any chance, even the slightest moment, he will attack and possibly kill and with Kaiba giving him the chance, he would've gone with the attack and let him fall if Yugi's voice didn't snap him out of it.

The second probably doesn't make sense if you didn't get it but I'll give a more proper explanation at the beginning of the next chapter since now, I'm getting a headache. Anywho, hoped you enjoyed, feel free to hit Kaiba if you wish, and I'll get started with the next chapter as soon as possible since I already have some of it done. See you soon.


	14. A Brother's Promise

Zypher: Thank you all for your wonderful comments and here's another glorious chapter to Yami no Game. Enjoy.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 14

* * *

From the top of the tower, Saruwatari, who was watching the match commence, took out a phone and dialed one number. "Pegasus-sama...the match between Yami and Kaiba has ended. The winner is Seto Kaiba." he told him. "Shall I let him into the castle?" When he got the confirmation, he nodded. "Right away, sir." He closed the phone and then left to meet up with Seto at the door.

Inside, Pegasus smiled as he looked through a set of cards. "Good job, Kaiba-boy...you got your wish now. I am your next opponent." he spoke quietly to himself before he placed the card on the deck they came from.

* * *

After the renewed Blue Eyes' head made the final attack, defeating Celtic Guardian with its mighty blow, Yami collapsed to his knees, eyes filled with tears. Everyone watched in surprise and horror as the attack hit its mark, tears coursing down Yugi's face at what he caused. From the tower window, Keith was appalled at what he witnessed. "What the fuck was that? He had it won...and he let it slip through just from that little punk's words..." Keith said quietly.

_'No. I didn't try that. I couldn't have. I'm not a monster...I'm not like Bakura. I'm not like him...'_ he thought and then started to scream with agony, clenching his head and Yugi ran over to him. "Yami?" Yugi cried, kneeling down to him and was about to grasp his should but Yami backed away, eyes showing fear. "No...stay away...stay away from me!" he cried and then in the blink of an eye, his disappeared back into the puzzle, leaving the dueling gauntlet behind.

"Yami? Yami!" Yugi cried, trying to connect to him through their mind link but it was completely blocked off. The others ran over to him and knelt down to Yugi but Kaiba, from his spot, only watched coldly. "It's ok, Yugi. You did the right thing. He'll be fine." Aqua spoke but Yugi only cried more.

"No! He won't be! He won't! He thinks he's a monster, almost like Bakura, for nearly killing someone that doesn't deserve it!" Yugi said. "Kaiba would've died if I didn't say anything! The battle was getting out of hand and I couldn't let him die! No matter what he put us through!"

They continued to try and comfort him, knowing that nothing may work until he knows Yami will be alright. "I'm scared, Aqua...I'm scared that Yami will kill himself...I-I don't want him to die..." Yugi whispered, wrapping his arms around him. "He won't. I promise you, he won't." Aqua said, rubbing his back. Kaiba gave a menacing laugh.

"Let him die, it will save all of us a lot of trouble." Kaiba said and Aqua growled. "Don't you dare say that!" he snarled. "Seto!" Ruby hissed, looking to him. _'He dragged me down before and I'm not letting him do so again.' _he thought, glaring at his own brother.

"I won against Yami. He showed his weakness at the end thanks to a petty cry from you. You ruined it for him, Yugi." he spoke. "He's a demon and demons are made to kill. They aren't deserving of love cause it messes with true instinct. He's a cold hearted monster, Yugi, and caring about another's safety ruins everything for them!" Ruby called his name again, growling lightly.

"Seto! This game isn't about murder!" he spoke angrily before backing away from him and over to Yugi and the others. "I have stayed by your side long enough but when you take things this far, there's no reason. I know we have to save Mokuba but I'm not going to join you if you think of a game like this. Death-T was far enough."

Kaiser looked to him and smiled before glaring at Kaiba once more. Kaiba only tsked in disapproval. "Ruby, do you know what God gave to use to play these games in the world. A little chip called life. I threw my chip of life on the line as a last gamble. And Yami sacrifice the bet to save me! He lost the game for a foolish move!" Zella hissed and stood, eyes locking with Kaiba's.

"It's not true! You're the one to lose!" she hissed as she stepped forward. Her outburst surprised Kaiba and she continued to hiss and spat like the cat she was. "You think people's struggles are like a game and you're wrong! Yami faced a hard move that could mean the life of two things! Your brother and Yugi's jii-chan! If he could, he could save them both but then this duel came up, deciding who would get in the castle or not!

"Then you go and do this, making him make a move that risked your life! You bet off your life like it was nothing! You lost to yourself! When you're on the verge of losing, you think you don't deserve to live. You are a self-centered, cold-hearted fool, Seto Kaiba!" Kaiba started growling but Zella wasn't finished there.

"Real courage comes from the heart and not only does Yami and Aqua show that but so does Yugi. He's loves two demons that have the power to kill anything in sight if they wished and yet he has changed their ways and made them become good! He never gave up on them and neither did we but you...you gave up on life and you caused your own loss!" Keara nodded in agreement to her words.

"She's right, Kaiba. Remember who saved you. Think of what would happen if your death did happen and none of us that could fly could save you before you hit the ground. Do you want your last thoughts to be on the people your have saddened, have betrayed because of your foolish decision?" Keara spoke.

Kaiba only snorted and held the ten star chips in hand. "Say what you will but I don't care! I got what I needed and I'm going to save our brother! Ruby! You can come or stay here with them. Whatever decision you make won't affect me in any way." Kaiba said. "I stay with them." he spoke and Kaiba turned back to him, eyes lighting up with shock but it quickly disappeared as he huffed. "So be it." he whispered.

"And while you're at it, take your stupid machine with you!" Jou growled, tossing Kaiba the Duel Disk. He caught it and started descending the stairs with a swish of his trench coat. Ruby watched him go sadly before looking over to Yugi and walked over. "Yugi, I know it doesn't mean much from me but I'm sorry you had to see him act this way again. I guess whatever Yami tried to accomplish with him before that put him into that coma didn't work. Hopefully Yami will be alright and ready to face Pegasus somehow." Ruby whispered, patting his shoulder.

Yugi looked up to him and smiled. "Thank you, Ruby." he replied.

"And we'll be with you all the way! We won't rest until we regain those star chips and help Yami out!" Kaiser said. "Let's just hope there are still some duelists on the island. We need to get five star chips and fast." Aqua said and they nodded._ 'I will help Yami get into Pegasus castle. He may not be fit to duel right now but I'll help him in someway.'_ Yugi thought, taking the gauntlet from the ground.

As Kaiba reached the door, Saruwatari was waiting there along with Keith who started clapping. "Good show. You really kicked that demon's ass. Never would expect someone to actually beat him from what I heard from those lackeys of mine." Keith said. Kaiba took a glance over to him and chuckled.

"I didn't know a prize hunting hyena had found its way to the island..." Kaiba murmured and Keith grinned. "Let me tell you this, pretty boy. I'm taking the prize and Pegasus' head." He chuckled even more. "But of course, a person as rich as you probably doesn't care about the prizes. So let me ask you something. "God gives us a little chip called life". That's what you said, wasn't it? So this chip, is worth the same for everybody? For the poor...and for the rich?" he questioned, grin still present.

"Hmm, I thought that distinction was for you hyenas to sniff out as you hunt for your next feast..." Kaiba spoke, a smirk on his face and Keith growled angrily. _'You spoiled little brat...that demon should've let you die...'_ he thought. As he entered without another word, Keith only shrugged and followed, deciding that all the eventful stuff was done for until the next two duelists enter.

Back above, after Yugi calmed down a little more and wiped away his tears, they all looked over the edge of the platform they stood on to see Kaiba, Saruwatari and Keith heading to the locked door. "Well, he's heading into the castle now and so is that prize hunter." Ruby said before looking to Yugi. "You don't have any time to waste, if you want to get inside, you better hurry and get five more star chips."

He nodded and climbing onto Aqua's back, since he still felt weak enough to not walk for a while, they all dashed down to find more duelists before time was up.

* * *

Kaiba placed the ten star chips into the slots and a mechanical voice confirmed them before opening, letting him enter inside the castle. _'I'm coming for you, Pegasus!'_

* * *

"It's almost sunset! We need to hurry!" Jou called, dashing down the stairs along with the others while Aqua flew overhead. "Can't care if it's a participant or a player killer, we need to snatch some star chips!" he continued but the voice of Saruwatari stopped them.

"It's too late now! Yami is disqualified!" he said. _'No!'_ Yugi thought in horror. "That can't be true!" Diamond said. "Don't believe me? Then look over there!" he said, pointing out to the sea and they all saw a boat just pulling out of the docks. "Those are the remaining players! All of them except you! In other words, the four finalists for the championship has already been decided." he told them.

"No way!"

"Yes! The first is Keith Howard!" Saruwatari recited and Jou growled. "That lousy excuse for a duelist doesn't deserve to be in the finals..." he hissed. "Wait! What about Jou-kun? He has ten star chips! You've got to-" Yugi started as Aqua landed beside the group. "Don't worry your tiny head. He's one of the four too!" Yugi let out a breath of relief.

"You mean that I..." Jou started and Saruwatari nodded. "You did it, Jou-kun. You can enter and win that prize money for your sister." Yugi said happily. Jou took a glance over to him and then to the puzzle where the still distraught and restless demon stayed. _'But Yami didn't make it. He must be thinking right now that not only did he lose the duel and risked someone's life but he also broke his promise to Yugi...'_

"I'm guessing that Kaiba is the third finalist then?" Ruby questioned. "No, he's a special guest of Pegasus-sama. He's not participating. The third finalist came here earlier...but they left and said they were bringing back the fourth finalist. Once they get back, that will make our four contestants! Yami didn't make it so all his efforts were wasted!" Saruwatari finished, laughing. Yugi gasped and then looked down, tears coming to his eyes once more. _'Jii-chan...'_ he thought then started to cry softly. Aqua cooed gently and brought him into his arms, hugging him.

Jou looked over to them and then to the star chips in his gauntlet. "Yugi..." he whispered then thrusted his arm out to them. "Take my star chips instead!" Yugi looked up to him in surprise. "But why...? You need them to save your sister." Yugi said.

"The only reason I was able to make it here today is because Yami gave me one of his star chips. I can't thank him enough for that but now, he's needs them more than me. These ten star chips belong to him!" Jou said. "Jou-kun, no! You won those star chips on your own. There's no way we can take them." Aqua spoke.

"But you have to. You two promised you would save Yugi's grandfather! I can't let you go on thinking that you failed in that! You can't give up on that promise!" Yugi looked up to Jou and then down to the puzzle. "Jou-kun, I..." he started but then they heard a voice from behind and they turned to see who it was.

"There you are! I finally found you!" Mai said. "Great, it's her." Jou growled as she walked up to the group. She looked to Jou and was surprised to see he had his gauntlet filled with ten star chips. "What? You actually have ten star chips?" she spoke and Jou growled again. "It's gonna be half that now!" he snarled. She was even more surprised to hear and that and then looked to the group and noticed they were short one.

"Where's Yami?"

Yugi looked down quietly. "He's not here right now. He's really depressed at the moment from something that just happened." Yugi whispered. "And what does that happen to be?" she asked. "He's disqualified, that's what happened! He lost to Kaiba who also needed five star chips to get into the castle so now, he doesn't have enough and every other duelist has already been shipped off." Saruwatari answered and she gasped.

"This can't be true." she whispered then looked to Yugi. "He can't be telling the truth, can he?" Yugi sighed once more and pulled out the gauntlet, showing it to her and the five empty slots. "He's right."

"You gotta be kidding! I'm not going to accept that!" she said then reached into her coat pocked and, surprisingly, pulled out five more star chips. "I'm going to pay him pay back the star chips I owe to him!" she said. "Fifteen! She has fifteen star chips!" Kaiser said in surprise. "Yes, I do and in return for this, you need to heal this emotional scar and have him ready to face me in the castle, Yugi." Mai said.

"Man, this must be your lucky day, Yugi! Go ahead and take them so Yami can still be in this tournament and save your grandfather!" Jou said, patting his shoulder. "He's right, Yugi. Take them. At least it will make Yami feel as if he hasn't failed you yet." Aqua added.

Yugi looked to them and then to the puzzle. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "I can't accept them. Yami wouldn't do it if he were here." Yugi whispered. Mai clenched her hand around the star chips, watching him.

"Yugi, after everything I've seen Yami do, I can tell he's like a mass of duelist's pride with a big heart. But these star chips I'm giving you is what I owe after he helped me and prevented me from getting kicked off the island. Forget the pride and do what's right! Do you want to have everything end here?" Mai questioned.

Yugi shook his head again and took hold of Aqua's collar, beckoning him to come and started heading down the stairs. "I still can't accept them." he spoke. Aqua watched him as he followed before stopping, tugging him back.

"Yugi, remember the reason we came here. The promise we planned to fulfill. We have came so far and now that we're at the door to this fate, we can't stop now. I don't care about pride but I care about keeping you happy. We want to give you what you want and that's to return the soul of your grandfather back to where it belongs and it surely doesn't belong in Pegasus' trap." Aqua said.

"Think about it, Yugi. Jou-kun is only new to dueling and he has manage to get ten star chips. He didn't win them out of the pride of a duelist. He wants to be called a real duelist but if that means following the twisted code that Kaiba seems to follow, then he doesn't deserve these star chips or the chance to save his sister." he continued.

"He's right. If a duelist's pride is what's needed to be a real duelist, then I don't want to be like that! Some duelists, like Kaiba, only think of their reputation, not what truly matters. I'll crawl through mud if it means protecting what's dear to me! Before I'm a duelist, I'm Katsuya Jounouchi and that's how it will stay." Jou spoke.

"I have to agree with him. Pride can be a pain sometimes...I didn't go around collecting star chips just for my pride as a duelist, Yugi. I still think that if I repaid Yami, I will earn the right to duel him but to tell you the truth, it's really because I wanted to see you all again." Mai said. "Really? Whatever for?" Diamond asked. "Even after all the mean things I said to you, you still called me your friend...that made me happy cause all my life, no one considered me their friend." she said.

She held out her hand once more, showing the star chips to Yugi. "These star chips are a token of my appreciation! Will you take them now?" Aqua nudged Yugi over to Mai and nodded. Yugi looked back to him and then nodded back before taking them.

"Ok! I'll take them and I'll make sure to have Yami thank you after this tournament's over!" Yugi said happily and stuck them within the gauntlet before they rushed back up the stairs and through the first set of doors and headed to the second where Saruwatari stood. They stopped before him and he smirked. "Do you have the correct amount of star chips?" he asked. "Only three more can enter."

Mai stepped forward and showed her filled gauntlet. "Here you are! Ten star chips!" she said and he nodded. "Alright then. Go inside." She nodded and when he moved out the way, she took off the star chips from her gauntlet and place them into the lock before turning the knob and the voice recognized them before sliding open.

"See ya on the inside." she said as she walked in. "I'm next." he said, taking hold of Aqua's collar and stepped up, showing the gauntlet to Saruwatari. "So, you found some extra star chips. Lucky for you but you're not one of the contestants so this is null and void." he said.

"What do you mean?" Jou growled, stepping up. Saruwatari looked to him before nodding. "You have your ten, get inside." He then looked to Yugi. "As for you, you're not allowed." Yugi and Aqua looked at one another before Yugi nodded, releasing his grip on his collar and Aqua trotted behind Saruwatari and before he could figure out what was going on, he screeched in pain, running forward with Aqua's jaws clamped hard on his backside.

"Get him off! Get him off!" he yelled as he dashed about the courtyard. "Let me inside and he'll let you go." Yugi said, giggling as he watched the display. "Fine! You can enter, just call him off!" Yugi nodded and Aqua embedded his claws into the group to stop Saruwatari from his flailing run before lifting said guard into the air and tossed him towards the group, Saruwatari landing face first before them.

"That's got to hurt." Ryou said as he looked to the wounded guard who gave a small groan. Aqua trotted over to the group, a satisfied smirk on his face before walking in with Yugi beside him. "But of course. You should know by now two things that you shouldn't do that would make a demon angry. Taunt him about something and not allowing their mate to enter somewhere when they're around." Aqua spoke.

They laughed before Jou entered in behind them but before Zella, Kaiser, Ryou, Ruby, Diamond and Keara could enter, Saruwatari lifted his head. "Hey! You can't enter! Only the finalists can!" he said. Keara huffed before sending a flick of magic towards him which lit his pants on fire.

"I like to see you try and stop us, flame boy." she said and he felt the heat of the fire on his pants and jumped up, yelling again as he tried to pat the flames away. And again, he started to run about the field before crashing into a nearby tree and they all winced as they heard the faint cracking of his nose.

"Now that really has to hurt. Pegasus needs to hire new guards that aren't as stupid." Diamond whispered before they went inside and shut the door behind them. "Everyone here?" Yugi asked and they nodded. "Ok then! Let's go!" They dashed forward and went through a massive hallway before coming up to a balcony like area and who was there was none other than Bandit Keith.

"Hey, it's Bandit Keith!" Zella exclaimed and he turned when he heard her voice and smirked. "What a fucking surprise...you guys actually made it into the castle." he said with a jeering tone and Jou growled. "You scumbag! I'm going to kill you for trapping us in that cave!" he sneered.

"Hey, hey! Keep ya pant on. The show's about to start!" he said before turning back down to the lower floor. "I'll deal with you later so chill out and look down there." They walked over to the railing and looked down, spotting a duel arena in the center of the floor and Kaiba was waiting on the other side.

_'Kaiba's down there...now where's Pegasus?'_ Yugi thought. "You all are just in time...for the duel between rich boy and Pegasus." he said, chuckling. "Indeed..." A voice spoke and Croquet walked over to them. "My friends...the four finalists in the championship tournament...welcome to Pegasus' Castle!" He then looked to the other seven that were part of the group of four finalists.

"And it seems we've taken in a few uninvited guests." He chuckled lightly. "In any case...we present to you all a special match for the opening ceremonies. A special welcome by Pegasus-sama himself for you proud gamers that survived the first half of Duelist Kingdom."

Kaiba was still silent where he stood, not even taking a glance to the huge window that rested over the door where Pegasus would walk out of which revealed the Big Five, watching and waiting for Kaiba's defeat. Kaiba reached up and grasped the card pendant and vowed to himself that he will save Mokuba by any means necessary.

Soon, the door opened and in walked Pegasus with two guard flanking his side, each holding a pillow where two deck each rested. "Welcome to my castle, Kaiba-boy! It's so good to see you again!" he said with a happy demeanor. "I've been waiting for the day when I could battle such a proud duelist like youself and right here in my own kingdom."

Kaiba growled and Pegasus gave a soft chuckle. "No need to worry your pretty little head, Kaiba boy. Once our duel is safely over, you can have your precious little brother back. Now, let's enjoy a great duel!" Pegasus spoke but before Kaiba could speak a retort, Keara stepped forward.

"Before you start, I have a little something I want to say to Kaiba!" she said and they turned to look at her. "Kaiba, how low can you sink? Has your previous duel against Yami taught you nothing? I watched that duel with so much pain because of your petty insults towards Yami that angered him so much to make him act so rashly.

"You can't fight evil with evil, you moron. You just sealed your brother's fate just by falling into Pegasus' plan and you can thank yourself for it. In fact, that guy at the start of Death T was right. You are the devil's incarnate in fact, your just as I said you are, Kaiba. Your just as bad as the very man who kidnapped your brother." she hissed before glaring at Pegasus.

"How can you say such blasphemy? I will save my brother from his grimy paws!" Kaiba retorted, sending a glare her way and she snorted. "Just try then. You may know little about Pegasus now but after the duel is over, you will learn a lot more than you think."

Diamond looked to her and wondered if she knew much more about Pegasus herself than they all did. Yugi thought the same before they went yo watch the duel that was about to commence. _'Now we get to see up close and personal what kind of powers Pegasus really has.'_ Yugi thought. _'With him not only having the power to read minds with the Sennen Eye, what else could he be hiding.'_

Pegasus chuckled again, not at all fazed by Keara's proclamation as he continued to look at them. "So, our official four finalists are here for the final half of the tournament. Congratulations to you all!" Kaiba looked over the group before spotting Yugi there and smirked. _'So, you decided to come in place of Yami...seems you are going to stay true to your word.'_ he thought.

"Rats! I want them both to lose! If Pegasus loses, the whole tournament will be ruined but hopefully we get what we want out of him but I rather see Kaiba's loserness to losing against someone other than Yami one more time!" Jou spoke.

/After what he did, I don't mind seeing him lose either but I don't want him to lose because something might happen to him./ Yugi spoke to Aqua.

/Well, we'll see what happens, little one./ Aqua replied.

"Now then, let's start our little game." Pegasus spoke, stepping forward but Kaiba stopped him. Before that. Tell me where Mokuba is." he demanded. "Never fear. You'll see him soon." Pegasus said. "Now...about the terms of our duel...I'm sure that you brought an interesting little contraption with you for our duel. Something called a Duel disk I presume."

"That's right! We will fight using my patented Duel Disk system or I won't fight at all!" he said, tossing one over to Pegasus who caught it with a little surprise. He was silent as he examined the machine before throwing it in the motion of a Frisbee.

"...Do I throw it like this?" he questioned with a hint of confusion before sighing. "Oh...this looks exhausting. I'm not really a man of physical sports so how about this...I'll fight you with the Duel Disk but I'll use a proxy to wield it for me." he suggested. "What?" Kaiba exclaimed and Pegasus tutted softly.

"Now now. I'll choose the cards myself. Nothing will change the fact that I'm your opponent." he spoke. "No way! You'll use the disk and fight me one on one, Pegasus!" Kaiba said. Pegasus only smirked and nodded. "Alright then. I'll go by your terms." he said, knowing full well that the Duel Disk wouldn't be in his favor and yet he knew of a way that would immediately change Kaiba's form of how the battle will be played.

"Now, as I promised, here's Mokuba!" he said and another guard walked out but what made Kaiba, and Ruby, gasp is that Mokuba was handcuffed tight to him, eyes blank and clothes ragged. "Mokuba!" Kaiba called but Mokuba didn't make no move to look at him with the bright, childish eyes of the brother he cared for.

"Mokuba...what's wrong with you?" Ruby whispered. "Pegasus! What did you do to Mokuba!" Kaiba demanded. Pegasus chuckled softly before reaching into his suit pocket and puled out a card before showing it to Kaiba. "He can't respond to you because I sealed his soul within a Shadow Card."

_'No, that isn't possible! Pegasus couldn't have sealed Mokuba's soul within a card!'_ Kaiba thought. "Yes. He is." Pegasus spoke as if he read his mind. "The brother than stands before you is nothing but a shell but he has enough volition to obey me..." he spoke and Kaiba growled.

"Kaiba-boy...if you can defeat me in this duel, I will release your brother and you can have him back." he stated and Kaiba clenched his teeth in anger. /So, it seems he has more power than just taking souls. He can lock them away into a card./ Aqua spoke to Yugi and he nodded.

"And that shall bring us to the matter of the Duel Disk...if you insist on challenging me with the disk, I nominate Mokuba to throw the disk on my place." he said as he handed the disk to the smaller boy and he took it without protest. Kaiba knew he just couldn't go through with this. Fighting his own brother was out of the question. "If you don't want to..." Pegasus spoke and that took Kaiba out of his little trance. "We could just go back to my plans and duel my way."

"Fine! I'll accept your condition but it is I who will win!" Kaiba said as he and Pegasus went to sit at the duel table waiting for them. "Ok then. The duel shall go by the standard rules. Agreed?" Kaiba nodded. "Now, prepare you deck."

"Watch yourself, Kaiba! He has a Dragon Capture Jar!" Yugi called and Kaiba looked to him._ 'Yugi...I won't forget that advice...but I will still face him with this card! No matter the situation, the Blue Eyes White Dragon and I fight together!'_ he thought.

"Yugi...why are you giving him advice?" Kaiser asked. "Even for what he did, he is fighting for Mokuba! He's fighting to reclaim his brother's soul and he needs all the help he could get." Yugi said. "And hopefully he can win." he whispered quietly to himself.

Kaiba placed his deck onto the table after shuffling, Pegasus doing the same and they got started. "I'll go first!" Pegasus said as he drew a card then placed one onto the field. "I'll play Toon Alligator in defense mode." he said, the cartoon alligator appearing onto the field. "And before I end my turn, I place one card face down." Kaiba looked to the face down warily.

_'A low level monster in defense and a hidden card. Could it be a spell or trap...?' _he wondered as he drew a card and it was one of his Blue Eyes. _'Ok, I already have one of my Blue Eyes so I could open up with an all out attack but then again, Pegasus has the Dragon Capture Jar Yugi mentioned so I have to be wary of that.'_

"I play a face down card as well and play Rude Kaiser in attack mode." he said, placing out the lizard warrior. "Attack the alligator!" he commanded and the warrior leapt forward, lobbing the cartoon alligator's head with one of its arm axes. "Oh no-!" Pegasus cried with mocking grief.

"I end my turn." Kaiba spoke and Pegasus looked through his hand as he drew his next card. "Your strongest monster has 1800 attack. Oh what could I do...?" Pegasus muttered before smiling. "Ah! I got it! I'll use this card! Parrot Dragon!" he said, placing the 2000 attack point monster onto the field.

The half breed parrot/dragon monster appeared with a squawk. "Now, do your best, my little friend. Attack his Rude Kaiser!" Pegasus ordered but Kaiba stopped him. "Before you do, I activate this spell card. Mesmeric Control!"

"What?"

A swirl of magic appeared before Parrot Dragon, making it drowsy before it fell asleep. "Yes. My face down card was Mesmeric Control. It puts your monster to sleep and decreases its attack by 800 points." Kaiba explained before sending his monster to counterattack and it defeated Parrot Dragon without a problem. Pegasus' life points decreased to 1400 and he frowned. _'Is he even taking this fight seriously...or is he playing around with Seto until he makes the wrong move...?'_ Ruby thought as they continued to watch.

_'That should be enough of a handicap for you, Kaiba-boy...I know all the cards in your hand and now, it's time to play my way.'_ Pegasus thought. Kaiba drew a card before picking out the Blue Eyes from his hand._ 'I have a hunch and hopefully I'm right. Maybe he doesn't have the Dragon Capture Jar in hand now so I must finish the duel before he gets it.'_

"Stop!" Pegasus called and he did so, looking to him. "What now?" he questioned. "Don't show me the card you have just yet. I'm going to play my trap card, Prophecy!" he said and Kaiba gaped. _'A trap?'_ Pegasus flipped the card over before sending a look to Kaiba. "Now, using this card, I will predict the card that you are about to use. Also, I will have to say whether its attack value is more or less than 2000. If I'm right, then the card is mine."

He smirked and Kaiba growled angrily. "Now, first off, I do believe its a monster with over 2000 attack. I predict that the card you about to play is none other than...your Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba gasped when Pegasus guessed his card correctly before reluctantly handing the card to Pegasus.

_'Now, Kaiba-boy, get ready to learn the horror of challenging me.'_

"This isn't good! He had Kaiba's Blue eyes and who knows what he could do with it!" Zella said. "Yeah! For once I feel sorry for him! If he uses that dragon, Kaiba's a goner!" Jou added. Yugi looked over to where the guard stood with Mokuba, the boy watching the duel with no emotion within his eyes. _'The only way Kaiba can get his brother back is by defeating Pegasus...but how can he? How can anyone beat him...?'_ Yugi thought.

"Well now...I guess I'll draw my card and end my turn." Pegasus said as he did so. Kaiba knew he couldn't panic cause he already has a plan in motion that would dismantle Pegasus' deck in a instant if he tried to play his Blue Eyes. "I draw a card and place Rude Kaiser into defense." he said before ending his turn.

"My turn!" Pegasus spoke as he drew a card then looked to Kaiba. _'Now, lets see what you have in your hand now.'_ He thought, Sennen Eye glowing softly and in his mind's eye, he spotted two cards of interest. _'I see...you have the virus card. So you must be hoping to lure me with your Rude Kaiser to play your Blue Eyes and destroy it so you can combine Saggi the Dark Clown with your Virus card to destroy my deck and your Blue Eyes.'_ He then smirked. _'But that won't work on me.'_

"I'll play one card face down then I send out Dark Rabbit in defense." he said as the black furred cartoon rabbit appeared on the field. "Fine then, it's my turn." Kaiba said, almost glad that he didn't send out the Blue Eyes yet. _'But that still won't stop me from getting rid of it so he won't have hold of it for long.'_ he thought as he drew his card. "Now, I'll activate my Virus combo!" he said, sending out Saggi the Dark Clown. "I'll sacrifice my monster to activate the virus that'll destroy your entire deck!" he said and the group above them gasped.

"Hey, there's that same combo he used on Yami to demolish his deck!" Diamond said. "And if it works, Pegasus will lose." Ruby stated. /But he's ready for it./ Aqua spoke to Yugi and he started to whimper in fear, knowing that there is little chance that Kaiba would win against Pegasus. "I activate my face down card." Pegasus said which shocked Kaiba.

"And the card I play is Negative Energy! This handy little card doubles the attack of all dark monsters on the field, including yours. In other words, your clown's attack jumps to 1200 and it much too high to host your virus." he said as the virus poured out from Saggi due to its attack being too high for it.

"And don't forget, my Dark Rabbit is also a dark monster so its attack doubles as well!" Said rabbit flexed its muscles as its attack jumped from 1100 to 2200. "Now my rabbit, murder that clown!" The monster jumped forward and with a mighty punch, destroyed Saggi. Kaiba now had fear showing in his eyes as his life points decreased to 1000. _'There's no way...he can't be reading my hand...my strategies...'_

Pegasus smirked once again as he saw that fear. _'Poor Kaiba-boy...is that fear I see? Well, you haven't learned what true terror is just yet, not until you enter my world...'_ Pegasus thought. "Pegasus is reading Kaiba's mind. He knows everything he's going to do and finds a way to counter it." Yugi whispered and they gasped. "How is someone supposed to counter an ability like that?" Zella asked softly.

_'Who knows...that's the power of his Sennen Eye and as far as I know, each has a unique ability and can possibly be countered only by another's Sennen Item.'_ Ryou thought quietly, placing a hand over his own item and the spirit within purred in content.

_'Soon, my dear yadonushi...real soon...' _Bakura whispered within the confines of the Ring.

_'Curse you, Pegasus...you saw right through my strategy and read it like an open book...Could you even be reading my mind right now?'_ Kaiba thought before drawing a card. "No! I won't believe such nonsense!" he said before placing Battle Ox in defense and gave the turn to Pegasus. "My turn, hmm? Say, Kaiba-boy...do you like cartoons?" he asked and Kaiba gave him a very dark look.

"I take that as a no...well for me, I simply adore them! I remember when I was in America, I watched Funny Rabbit every Saturday morning! All those great characters running about over the TV screen! They were my best friends back then!" he said happily as he reminisced before looking to Kaiba once more.

"And even to this day, they run around the little garden inside my heart...they never betray me...and they can never die. So in retrospect to my favorite show in those days and today, I'm inviting you to their world...I'm going to play...Toon World!" he said, placing the field card onto the field and wisps of smoke rose up from the card before it reveal a book that opened up, revealing a haunted cartoon castle.

_'Toon World!'_

"What the heck is that thing! It looks like some kids' pop-up book!" Jou said. "I don't know! I never seen or heard of a card like that before!" Yugi replied. _'What could it be...? Is it something even more dangerous than it looks?'_ he wondered. Kaiba look around the field and realized that when the book appeared, Dark Rabbit disappeared. "Where'd it go...?" he questioned softly.

"All my cards are toon cards. They live within Toon World so if you can't see them, they must be hiding from you. But just wait cause you'll see them soon." He then looked down to the book on the field. "Dark Rabbit...are you in there...?" Things were silent for a moment before the tiny door on the castle opened and out popped Dark Rabbit, sending another mighty punch at Battle Ox and it went down.

The toon monster gave a silly laughed as it returned back to the book and the book slammed closed. "Well well...my shy little toon rabbit returned to the book again. And I should warn you, when Toon World is closed, all my toon monsters are out of harm's way!"

"That's not fair! How is Kaiba supposed to counterattack?" Kaiser growled. Kaiba growled before drawing a card, setting one face down and ending his turn. "My turn again, is it? "Well, let me show you something interesting..." he said, pulling out a card from his hand and showed it to him. "This happens to be the Blue Eyes White Dragon I got from you. Now why don't we see what happens when I play it!" he said, placing the card onto the field.

Nothing happened except for the rising mist that came from the card to the Toon World book and once it ended, they book up once more, revealing a new toon to Pegasus' roster. "Ah, its a Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!" he said and Kaiba's eyes widened at seeing his once proud monster turned to another one of Pegasus' pawns.

"Remember, all my monsters become residents of Toon World...what do you think? Isn't it much more lovable than before? Now attack, my wonderful little critter!" The toon dragon gave a hearty chuckle before releasing the might of Burst Stream at Kaiba's Rude Kaiser, destroying it. "Is that anger I feel inside your heart..." Pegasus whispered and Kaiba growled.

"You...since you already know the cards in my hand, I'm going to discard it." Kaiba spoke, placing his hand into the graveyard. "Instead, I will draw a card from my deck since you don't know what they are and neither do I...and whatever it is, I play it in attack mode!" he said as he drew the card and placed it onto the field.

The deafening roar of the Blue Eyes was heard and everyone was surprised at the luck. "You say you feel my anger, Pegasus...now let me show you what real anger is!"

"Kaiba finally realized that Pegasus can read minds, that's why he threw his hand away." Aqua whispered and everyone listened in. "He risked everything on a card he didn't even know of and luckily, it was his best card." Everyone was silent before Mai burst out laughing. "Read minds? Take it from me, that's all fake!" she said and Kaiser snorted. "Believe it, Mai! That American does has ESP. If he didn't, he probably wouldn't be winning right now."

"Yeah but right now, I'm more interested in the battle! It Kaiba true blue dragon against comic freak's toon dragon!" Jou said.

The toon dragon continue to snicker, not caring that he going again his counterpart. "You must feel very lucky, Kaiba-boy! To be able to draw another Blue Eyes. Simply wonderful!" Pegasus jeered. "You...you changed my once proud dragon into that pathetic joke of a toon...I won't forgive you for that, Pegasus, and his brethren won't either! Now it my turn and I order my Blue Eyes to attack! Burst Stream!" The dragon charged up the attack, the toon version squealing with fear and as the attack launched, the toon sat there.

Before the attack hit, it stretched out of the way and that surprised Kaiba. "No way!" Kaiser exclaimed. "It evaded the attack! That must be a special ability of the toon monsters!" Yugi said. The toon transform its tail into a hand and waved a finger at him, snickering all the while.

"As a side note, there were 583 episodes of Funny Rabbit and according to someone who counted, Funny Rabbit's rival, Bulldog Police, fired over 26,000 bullets and never hit our furry little hero once. And as long as Toon World is on the field, every monster I play becomes a toon! Nothing can hurt _or_ kill a toon, Kaiba-boy. They are the perfect lifeforms!" Pegasus explained and Kaiba growled lowly.

"That lousy son of a bitch! What kind of game designer creates a card that nearly unbeatable?" Jou hissed. Mai turned to Yugi and asked him of he or Aqua knew anything about the toon cards.

"We never seen them before. That card must be something that doesn't get out to the public, especially with how powerful it is. So I believe its a one of a kind card that's made only for him." Yugi said. "Man, that's cheap. Creating a card for himself..." Jou muttered. Keith looked back to the duel and tsked slightly. _'Damn Pegasus! Nobody stands a chance against that card...'_ he thought.

"Well then, its my turn!" Pegasus spoke. Their life point count was currently Pegasus with 1400 and Kaiba with 1000. Kaiba glared coldly at the other but Pegasus only chuckled mentally.

_Ah Kaiba-boy...you finally realized I could see through your eyes so you abandoned your hand. You think I couldn't predict your moves if you draw your cards straight from the deck. But even that won't save you because when a player assembles their decks, they memorize every card, even if its only subconsciously! I still know all you cards, Kaiba-boy! You can keep drawing without knowing but I will still find out!'_

"I'll play this card on the board. Toon World, let's tell a new story!" he said as the book opened and flipped through before coming onto a new page. "Shine Palace!" Now in the book was a huge white castle the gleamed with power. "Of course...Toon World is infinite! The book is merely a gateway to all the worlds the toons frolic in." he explained.

"Now, Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, a monster of light, receives the shining energy from the castle and powers up!" The Blue Eyes grinned as it became more buff from the 500 point boost it got from the castle. "Now attack! Burst Stream!" The toon charged up the attack and aimed for Kaiba's dragon and it seemed that Kaiba was going to loose his dragon but he flipped over his trap card, revealing it to be Negate Attack and a vortex opened up, sucking the stream of white energy.

The toon looked shocked as its attack was sucked up but Pegasus knew that he had the card in his deck and that he only had one so there was no way he could block his toon's next attack. Kaiba knew this as well and staked everything on the next card. He placed the card on the field and smirked. "I play Shadow Spell!" Pegasus was shocked, not because of the card but the fact that he drew it at the right moment.

_'There was just one card that could defeat my toon dragon and to draw that card when you needed it...simply incredible...'_ Pegasus thought as chains bursted from the card and wrapped around the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. "Now, my Blue Eyes, attack with Burst Stream!" Kaiba commanded and the dragon charged up another blast and the toon dragon tried to squirm from the chains but they were bound tight around it.

Soon, it was destroyed and Pegasus' life points decreased to 1200._ 'My Blue Eyes won't be tormented by the powers of your pathetic toon card...I've put it out of its misery and now, I'll do the same to you, Pegasus!'_ Kaiba thought. "Wow! Slick move!" Zella spoke. "Yeah! He was able to demolish that toon!" Kaiser added.

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Kaiba-boy. Just now I've felt the love you had for your Blue Eyes White Dragon and as a game designer, that is the biggest compliment we can get to show that are games are doing well. Thank you." he spoke before drawing his next card and smiled wickedly. _'But of course, holding love for a particular card can lead to your defeat.'_

"For my next card...I play the Dragon Capture Jar!" he concluded and both Kaiba and Yugi gasped. "Not the Dragon Capture Jar!" Yugi said in shock. _'Is this the card Yugi warned me about!'_ Kaiba thought as the jar with the facade of a dragon on it appeared on the field. The Blue Eyes roared angrily as it felt the power of the jar trying to assimilate it and it struggled but soon, it was futile and it was brought into the jar and the jar's defense shot up to 2700.

"As you can see, not even your Blue Eyes can stand up to the power of my Dragon Capture Jar and with your monster within the dark confines of the jar, its defense increases by the added number of your own dragon's defense. You don't have a monster in your deck that could defeat it unless you miraculously pull out your third Blue Eyes or a Monster Reborn to bring back your last one." Pegasus explained.

_'So...you plan to turn my second Blue eyes into another one of your pawns. I won't let you.'_ Kaiba thought as he drew his card and placed it onto the field, revealing it to be Swordstalker and he placed it in defense mode. "My turn...I'll place the card face down and play Dragon Piper in defense mode." Pegasus said, placing the jar like monster on the field._ 'The Dragon Capture Jar and the Dragon Piper...at the most, he will release my Blue Eyes again using the Dragon Piper's special ability and turn it into one of his servants again.'_

"Exactly as I thought, Kaiba-boy. On my next turn, the Dragon Piper's Flute of Rebirth will turn your Blue eyes into another one of my servants and just like before, with the power of Toon World, it will become another toon. A "pathetic" toon, as you called it." Pegasus spoke and Kaiba snarled angrily, seeing that Pegasus read his thoughts. "I'll never let that happen! I'll crush your Dragon Piper before that happens!" he roared as he flipped Swordstalker into attack mode and ordered it to attack Dragon Piper.

"I think he fell for another one of Pegasus' traps. I just have that feeling." Ruby whispered and Yugi agreed with him. Like they thought, Pegasus smirked, seeing that Kaiba was willed to attack just as he predicted and put the final phase of his plan into motion. "I play the Spell card, Doppelganger!" he said and and Kaiba gasped in horror. _'No...not that card!'_ he thought.

"As you might know, this handy little card can change into any card that has been used in this duel so far and do you know which one I'll choose?" He was met with silence and he smirked. "Ok then, I'll tell you! I'm going to transform it into your Virus card and infect my Dragon Piper with it!"

'No! And its too late to stop the attack!" Kaiba thought as Swordstalker slashed the monster in half, releasing the virus contained within. "And so it begins." Pegasus whispered. Swordstalker groaned as the virus affect it, causing it to be destroyed along with every other monster within Kaiba's deck that was over 1500 which demolished his deck even more that it did when he used it on Yami. _'Your deck was entirely made of high level monsters, Kaiba-boy...with them lost to you, you lost all the fighting power you could give.'_ Pegasus thought.

"No! Kaiba!" Yugi cried. _'He has life points left but without any monsters to fight with, he lost...'_ he thought sadly. Kaiba looked to his deck with shock as every card except for the weakest monster he had and his spell and traps card were destroyed. He drew the last card he could since he knew he couldn't continue with all of his monsters destroyed. He played Monster Reborn and brought back Saggi the Dark Clown.

"So, you still have the courage to play one last monster to the bitter end. How noble of you. If I defeat it on my next turn, all of your cards will be useless to you and you'll lose the duel..." Pegasus spoke softly and Kaiba didn't acknowledged him, only turned to Mokuba who was still motionless and oblivious to everything around him but he saw the faint glimmer of a tear coursing down his face, showing that his brother still had feeling even without his soul and must've knew that his older brother lost the duel that would've saved him.

He then turned to Keara who he spotted out of them all and sighed. _'She was right all along...she knew of my defeat before I did and yet I still challenged Pegasus and lost.'_ he thought before turning to Pegasus, ending his turn. _'Forgive me, Mokuba...I couldn't save you...'_

"And now, I'll strike..." Pegasus said as he drew his card before sending out a monster. The book opened again and out popped a Jack-in-the-Box creature, only it was much more demonic than any child's toy. "Kaiba-boy, meet Bickuribox, the monster that will end this duel." Pegasus spoke and Kaiba closed his eyes in defeat. _'Goodbye, Yugi...tell Yami the same...'_ Was Kaiba's last thought as the monster gather a dark energy ball in hand before releasing it towards Saggi which destroyed it and the last monster Kaiba was able to use for the duel.

* * *

Zypher: And that's the end of this chapter. And the little speech with Keara was something that Red Dragon of Egypt came up with and asked me to add it before Kaiba lost the duel against Pegasus...well, not exactly but she wanted me to say it sometime so why not before he lost his soul. -grins- As you can see, she loathes Kaiba for that match against Yami. -snickers-

Anywho, hoped you enjoyed and I'll get the next chapter up hopefully by tomorrow since its pretty much half done. When I say half done, in this case, I mean that I have half of the end up but not the beginning since I let a friend borrow volume 6 when I wrote these chapters ahead of time so I started from the start of volume 7 with the next chapter. Anyways, enough of my ramblings and I'll see you later with the next chapter and a little surprise that will bring Yami back into his A game. (dare I say it...ok, I will. Be ready for a lemon next chapter -grins-)


	15. First Round of Finals: Yami vs Mai

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another (long awaited) chapter to YnG. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one cause guess what? It's lemon time!

Warning: What I just mentioned above. Don't like then why the heck are you reading this story.

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 15

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"You're a smart lad, Kaiba-boy but do you know what stakes I play for, don't you?" Kaiba was silent and Pegasus continued to speak. "In this game, the loser loses everything...the thing that is most precious to them. In other words, you lose you own soul." Pegasus concluded, pulling out another card titled Soul Prison with jail bars printed on the picture. _'This was the card I saving for you, Kaiba-boy. Now follow in the footsteps of your brother...'_

"Penalty Game! Mind Card!" he spoke and a rush of power went towards Kaiba, hitting him straight in the chest and expelling his soul, taking it back to the card before the other could utter a word. "No! Kaiba!" Yugi cried from the balcony. Kaiba's picture appeared on the card once the transfer was complete and Pegasus chuckled softly._ 'You poor siblings. You are so close and yet so far from each other. Now you wander through the dark for all eternity, Kaiba. Never to see you brother again...'_

Both brothers, eyes devoid of emotion and body devoid of a soul were removed from the walkways, Mokuba one way and Kaiba the other. "This isn't right...now Kaiba's soul is sealed within a card..." Zella whispered. "Yes. He risked his life just for one goal and yet he was still blinded to the powers Pegasus held. We can't forgive him for what he causes...taking things precious from others and I'm sure that he will be dealt with soon." Keara spoke and Yugi nodded. _'Yami, we need you and I'll help in whatever way I can to bring you back.' _Yugi thought.

In the room, the Big Five applauded Pegasus' work. "Well done, Pegasus. Seto is finally taken care of and Ruby is only a pushover to get rid of. Now all you need to do is defeat Yami and you will become the new owner of Kaiba Corporation." Pegasus turned to look to them and smirked. _'Don't worry, Big Five. No one who lived has ever defeated me.' _He turned to where Yugi stood. _'Even Yami and his power are powerless against my Sennen Eye!'_ He felt a wave of power and turned to see Aqua's eyes narrowed. "Don't get cocky, Pegasus! None of us will forgive you for this!" he said and Pegasus chuckled softly.

"Oh, Aqua-boy," Aqua snorted at this. "I'm so glad you care about other's well being! But you'll just have to bring out our dear fourth finalist and win the championship to earn the right to fight me!"

"We all know that! Get ready cause none of us will be satisfied until Yami destroys you once and for all!" Aqua snarled.

Pegasus only nodded before announcing that the championship half of the tournament will be held tomorrow morning in the arena below. "Remember, out of the four finalists here, only one of you will have the honor to face me." He said. The guard that was still there reached into his pocket and pulled out two card. "Duelists! To enter the finals with Pegasus, you will need the special cards which were sent to you with your invitation! Even if you do win, without these cards you are deemed disqualified! Is that clear?"

Yugi pulled out the two cards, Yami giving them to him for safe keeping, and sighed softly. Jou looked over to him in surprise and grumbled, knowing that he would be easily disqualified without those cards. Keith looked over to them as well, didn't knowing that he needed those cards to be able to go through the championship matches. _'I didn't know they had anything like that given out to the competition! Shit...this isn't good. If I don't get one of those cards, I'll be disqualified. I'll just have to find a way to get one.'_ Keith thought.

Pegasus gave a wave as he and the other two guards that were still there left. "Well then, my fair duelists, I'll see you back here tomorrow!" They watched him go before Mai smiled and looked to Jou and Yugi. "All right then...from here on out, we're enemies! The time for friendship is over!" she spoke. "Good luck you two and Yugi, I hope that Yami will be ready for tomorrow." she finished as she walked out. Yugi looked over the card, remembering what happened to Kaiba and wondered the same for the person that uses the Honor of the King's Left to battle with Pegasus. _'I bet a lot that it is and Pegasus will hold these cards in the end with the loser's soul trapped in the card as a mark of his status as the Duelist king!'_ Yugi thought.

"For Yami, we have to make it to the final round, Jou!" Yugi said, looking to the other. "I know!" he said before looking down. "But there's one problem...I don't have one of those cards so even if I did make it, I will be disqualified once they learn I don't have a card." He felt a tap on his arm and Jou looked up to Aqua. "Jou-kun...when we arrived on the island, we split one person's star chips between us, right?" Jou nodded. "Then this will belong to you as well." he said, taking the Honor of the King's Right from Yugi and holding it out to him. "If we advance to the championship, you will gain the prize. Take it so you can finally get the money to pay for your sister's eyes."

Jou looked to the card before taking it. "Thanks, Aqua." He nodded before looking down to Yugi and the other card in hand. _'And we'll take the risk with this card and challenge Pegasus to get Yugi's jii-chan back.'_ he thought. Croquet coughed softly, catching their attention. "Excuse me but if you will all follow me. A dinner party has been arranged for you all. Step this way, please." Jou grinned at the mention of food. "Great! I'm starving!"

Croquet led the way down the stairs, walking a ways before coming to a set of large doubles door that were open. They walked inside and both Jou and Honda were nearly drooling at the site of the large dinner table piled with food. "Wow! Look at that spread! I guess I'll let Pegasus feed me tonight before Yami or Aqua whips his foreigner butt!" Jou said. "Please, take your seats." Croquet spoke. Mai look up when she heard Jou's voice and smiled, waving to them. "Hi, minna! Glad to see you made it for dinner!" she said happily.

They walked in quietly, except for the fact that Jou and Honda immediately took their seats and would've stuffed their faces if Kaiser didn't follow and was threatening to hit them upside the head hard. Aqua looked up before gasping when he saw a familiar face upon one of the portraits in the room. "What's wrong, Aqua?" Yugi asked before following his gaze and gasped. _'That portrait...it's Shadi!'_

"Now, what's a portrait of him doing in here?" Zella questioned. Ryou looked up to the picture as well before looking down to Yugi. "Shadi? Who's that?" he asked. "He possesses a Sennen Item. I can tell you that." Aqua whispered and Ryou's eyes widened while Bakura's listened on in interest. _'A Sennen Item!'_ Ryou thought and knew that if Bakura heard, he would have another on his list to catch. "Yes. Do you see that ankh around his neck? That's the Sennen Ankh. It has the power to enter someone's mind and control them to do his bidding." Aqua explained.

Zella shivered at the thought before looking to the other portrait. "Hey, I wonder who that woman is? She's very pretty, though." Zella said. "These two portraits were done by Pegasus-sama himself but don't expect him to tell you a thing about them cause he doesn't like talking about them." Croquet spoke. Aqua took a glance to them again before they all went to sit down at the table, Croquet directing Jou and Yugi to a seat where the championship finalists sat.

"Looks like Mr. Keith isn't joining us tonight. Oh well..." Croquet spoke before looking to the others. "On behalf of Pegasus-sama, I'm so glad you could all make it this far! Let's all celebrate the final half of the tournament tomorrow!"

"All right, let's eat!" Jou said and they started to eat, Jou gobbling down whatever he could grab until Kaiser slapped his head. Yugi looked over to Honda who was now quiet. "What's wrong, Honda-kun?" Yugi asked softly. "Yugi...I want to ask you...can you save the Kaiba brothers?" he asked. Zella and Jou looked to him curiously. "Why do you want him to do that?" Jou asked. "I know you might still think of the things they did to us before but still, I owe him my life and I know you do too, Aqua. He saved both our lives at Death-T and it will be payback to help them both." Honda said. "He is right. I do owe my life to him." Aqua added.

Jou snorted angrily. "Kaiba got what he deserved! I don't mind Mokuba since he can be a sweet kid...maybe...but there's no need to help Kaiba!" he said and Ruby looked down when he heard him. Kaiser looked over to him sadly before whacking Jou over the head again. "Jou! You're fighting to help our sister regain her eyesight! Don't you realize that's almost the same goal that Kaiba aimed for?" Kaiser shouted. "Yeah. You know how I had a nephew..." Aqua shuddered at the thought of him. "He's a total brat and a weirdo but if his life's in danger, I'll protect him. I don't care what I would have to do to assure he's safe." Honda spoke.

"I never heard of Death-T or what Kaiba has done to you guys before." Ryou spoke. "Me or Diamond never heard of Kaiba or Ruby-san before this island. From what I've seen so far, Kaiba is a little arrogant and selfish but if he would put everything on the line to save his brother so I don't think he's all that bad. And Ruby is like the opposite of Kaiba but he'll probably do the same to help." Ryou said. "Ryou! You don't know what he's really like! I respect Ruby cause he's much more nicer! Makes me wonder how he got himself into a family with them."

"Sorry! Sorry!" Ryou said, waving a hand towards the angered Jou. As the other start to mumble something about the older Kaiba loving him and there being no chance in you know where that he'll ever admit liking the other, Aqua started to speak once more. "Anyway," Aqua spoke, looking away from Jou and back to Honda. "Their souls were sealed inside a card by Pegasus' magic. If there's someway I can break the seal, I can save them but if their soulless bodies are confined somewhere else, it might take longer and harder to set them free."

Honda nodded. _'I'll take care of that. You just worry about saving their souls.'_ he thought and Aqua nodded, hearing the thought. "Sheesh! Do whatever you want! Just don't count me in!" Jou said as he took another sip of his soup but before he could take another bite, something floated up and he squawked in terror. "What the heck is this!" he shouted. Mai yelped as she bit down onto one that was in her soup.

"Ugh! I got one too!" she said as she took it from her mouth. "Eww! It's an eyeball!" Zella squeaked. Yugi grimaced as he picked up one in his spoon. One of the large portraits in the room flickered before Pegasus showed up. "Hello everyone! How do you like my favorite soup-?" he questioned and Aqua growled.

"I knew it! It was poison! People always say it isn't but it is!" Jou shouted. "Thanks for the meal, you jerk!"

"Oh, that! That's part of tonight's main dish!" Pegasus said gleefully. "The heart pounding tournament bingo game!" he said. "Bingo game! What's that?" Aqua asked, ears folded back to show his anger. "All the participants in the championship tournament should have been given a replica Sennen Eye!" he said, whispering that he didn't see the other finalist but it didn't matter. "A replica..." Jou whispered then shivered. "Now, crack it open and see what's inside!"

"Better not be anything dangerous." Aqua hissed as Yugi opened the eye and took out the slip of paper. Jou and Mai did the same and looked at it. "Mine says D on it." Jou spoke. "And mine says B." Mai responded. On Yugi's was the letter A. "Now then, time to announce the order of the duels for tomorrow." Pegasus spoke before the screen switched, showing them a grid that had the letters paired together. "Good! I get to fight Keith tomorrow!" Jou said, clenching a fist. "I've been waiting for this fight!"

"So, I get to fight Yugi. Hopefully it will be Yami instead." Mai said, looking over to the younger. "Well, that's it! The soup never lies! I look forward to the duels tomorrow! See you all tomorrow!" he said once more before the screen turned off and returned to the portrait that was there. After the choosing of the pairs for the duels tomorrow, everyone went back to eating. "Yugi, that replica Sennen Eye, can I have it?" Ryou asked and he nodded as he snapped it back together before handing it to the other item holder.

Soon, Croquet told them that it was time to head to their rooms they stood, following him to their rooms. "Yugi, if you can, I want to battle Yami tomorrow so do whatever you can to bring him back." Mai told him and he nodded. They walked down a hallway with door on each side and Mai took the first one, saying goodnight to them before entering inside.

"Um, Kaiser, if it's no trouble, do you mind staying with me in my room tonight. I like to learn a bit about you." Ruby said and Kaiser flushed slightly. "Sure, I guess." he said. "At least I can trust you a little more than Kaiba but I won't hold anything against the guy." Ruby chuckled as he opened the door to another vacant room and walked inside with Kaiser behind him.

"Looks like those two will get along quite well." Aqua said, laughing softly and Yugi nodded. They walked further, none of them aware of Keith hiding around the corner, and stopped, Jou taking the next room. "Well, Yugi. If you can, I hope to see Yami ready to duel tomorrow but if not, let's get those honors together!" Jou said and Yugi nodded. "See ya all tomorrow." he said before entering his room. "Night, Jou-kun!" Zella said before looking to Yugi. "Good night, Yugi. You too, Aqua." she bidden. "I hope Yami will feel better soon."

"I hope so too." Yugi whispered as she entered her room and they took the last one. Yugi smiled at the interior and went to sit down on the bed. "At least we finally get a nice bed to sleep in." Yugi said, looking to Aqua who came to sit next to him. "Now, I just need to get to Yami. Knowing him, he might've locked himself pretty far away into the Puzzle so I'll need your help, Aqua." He nodded and disappeared into the confines of the Puzzle, Yugi right behind him. Once they were within the hall that separated their soul room from Yugi's, Aqua opened the door.

"This may take some time. I can feel his sorrow strongly and its everywhere so it will be hard to pinpoint where he is." Aqua spoke. "Then we need to try hard to find him. I can't take him being this way forever." Yugi whispered as he and Aqua started walking through the large labyrinth of their mind. They didn't know how long they walked but soon, the heard the heart wrenching sobbing of the other and looked around, trying to find a door or entrance that would lead them to him. "I don't see anything but it sounds likes he right around here." Yugi said. "I think I have an idea." Aqua pressed an ear against the wall, listening closely.

Yugi watched him quietly, hoping that he would find something out soon and smiled when Aqua nodded to him. "I know exactly what he did. He camouflaged an opening that leads to where he is and all is takes of the slight of hand to get in." he said, tapping against certain bricks and soon, the door was revealed and Yugi thanked him as he ran inside. "I'll leave you two alone." he whispered, smiling before leaving the Puzzle and back outside.

After Aqua was gone, Yugi entered the room and felt his heart breaking at the sight that he had to witness. There, sitting on a small yet comfortable looking bed, was Yami. He was curled up, wings folded about his body and crying harshly. _'Poor Yami. He's so affected by this.'_ Yugi thought as he stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him. Yami looked up, eyes rimmed red as he heard the sound of the door closing. "Yugi...why did you come? I don't want you to see me like this." he whispered

"I came because I want you back out. I don't want you to hole yourself up in the puzzle in sorrow for what you did. I know it was a life or death situation in that duel and you wanted to win since you wanted to help me so much but everyone has their was preventing Kaiba's stopped and that's what matters." Yugi whispered.

"But if Mai never came with those extra star chips, you would have never got into the castle and your grandfather's soul would've been lost within that portable video. I couldn't have that burdening my soul. You freed me, Yugi, and you became my lover. I couldn't wish for anything more after that day and when you declared your love to me and Aqua. I would do anything you wish and now, it was to save your grandfather. And I can't even do that." he cried before burying his face back into the tear soaked pillow.

"You can and you will. I'll be there for you. You can do this. I know you can. I want you to be the strong demon that I fell in love with." Yugi whispered as he walked over to the bed and removed the wings that obscured Yami's form from him. "And I will do what I can to bring him back." he added. Yami sniffed again before sitting up and looked to Yugi, seeing the love, trust and care for him that shine within the depths of those amethyst pools. More tears coursed down his face and Yugi wiped them away. "Here, let me show you just how much I love you. You're sorry for what happened but you can't take that to mind yet. Let me help you." he whispered as he brought the demon into a love filled kiss.

_**-Lemon ahead. No other warnings follow this one so you better think twice before reading cause I'm not going to hear it from anyone about it if they can't read warnings when they're written.-**_

Desperate for some sort of comfort, Yami returned the kiss with fierce abandon, arms and wings wrapped around the smaller body of his young lover. Yugi knew that Yami needed comfort and he was glad to give it in whatever way possible. After breaking the kiss for a breath of air, Yugi ran thin fingers through the unruly mop of tri-colored hair upon Yami's head and that gained a purr from the distraught demon. "Just relax, Yami. I'll do everything for you this time. I will give you the comfort that you desire and the love that we will share tonight will be the sweetest you will ever feel." Yugi whispered, still running a hand through his hair before bringing his hand down to caress the tear-stained cheek lightly.

Yami rubbed against the caressing hands, tears still falling from time to time but ceased after another love filled kiss from his gentle lover. Yugi brought his hands over Yami's shoulders and massaged them lightly, gaining another purr from him. He continued the gentle ministrations until he felt that the tense muscles finally loosen. With care, he lied Yami down upon the bed and moved to rest upon Yami's waist and ran a finger down his cheek again before working on removing his shirt.

Yami raised himself up, bringing his wings in to make the removal of the shirt much more easier for the younger teen. After the shirt was discarded, he started placing soft, sweet kisses upon the expanse of Yami's chest, bringing soft moans from him, cerise eyes closed in content.

"I love you so much, Yugi. You treat me so well and forgive me for things that no other would." Yami whispered.

"I know. That's why I'm your lover. No matter what it is, as long as you come out and tell me, I will still be there for you and love you. I won't make the same terrible mistake I did before that caused you and Aqua to leave me. It was such a burden, as if my soul was torn in two. Without the darkness that you two brought to me, I felt so incomplete." Yugi replied in a breathy whisper as he placed a soft kiss upon Yami's stomach.

He gave a deep murr, his actions showing how relaxed he was and Yugi moved on to the next step. He unbuttoned the pants that Yami wore and with care, slipped a hand within the tight confines that held the object of his desires. The pulsating flesh was warm to the touch and Yami gave a soft keen as Yugi gripped the turgid flesh in his small hand. Beads of precum gathered on the tip and he gently ran a thumb over the sensitive head, getting another pleasured response from the demon.

He gave the sensitive pleasure center of their passion a few short strokes before letting go, not wanting to have the other release earlier than he intended. Yami panted, slick tongue lolling from the partially open mouth. His chest heaved with each breath as his heart pounded within his ribcage. Claws dug into the fabric of the sheets that covered the bed. "Please," The overstimulated being of darkness beneath him whispered. "Give me more of your wonderful love. I want more."

"And you will get what you wish soon enough. Just hold on a little while longer." Yugi whispered. Yami gave a small nod before letting his tail come into play, having the tip slip into Yugi's shirt and gently caress his stomach, rigid scales leaving a tingling feeling upon satin soft skin. Yugi gave a small moan of his own from the action and as a reward, he gave the other another kiss before letting Yami's tail tug off his shirt and fling it to the floor upon the growing pile of clothing.

With his tail still making curving trails upon his chest and stomach, Yugi moved off to the side and slid off the pants that hindered him. Yami stopped his gentle ministrations as the pants came off and once they were tossed to the floor, his tail came back to curl and settle around Yugi's waist. "I...I need you, my sweet one." he whispered, hazed cerise boring into darkened amethyst.

"You will have me soon enough. First, I need to prepare you. Ok?" Yami nodded lethargically, giving a small squeeze of his tail about Yugi's waist. Yami reached out a hand and in it appeared a jar of sandalwood oil which he handed to Yugi and the younger thanked him. "This may feel a little uncomfortable but I'm sure you can handle it." Yugi whispered as he dipped three fingers into the warm oil and placed the jar off to the side. Yami nodded and relaxed even more, moaning as Yugi slipped one finger within him. He gently started preparing the other, deftly adding the second and third finger to stretch and relax the tight muscle. His movements ceased when Yami's tail wrapped around his arm.

"I'm prepared enough. Please, let me have you. All of you." Yami pleaded. Yugi only nodded, removing the fingers and took the jar again to prepare himself. After he was coated to his liking, he placed the jar on the side table and looked down to Yami, eyes shining with love. He leaned down to kiss Yami as he slipped inside of him, bringing a pleased moan from the demon, tail squeezing slightly around Yugi's waist.

Knowing that Yami was ready and waiting, he started to gently thrust within the tight passage of his demon lover, pace gentle and 's response were soft moans that expressed the deep, carnal pleasure he felt with his darling partner of his soul taking the initiative and granting him the deep, satisfied pleasure of intimacy.

Yugi kept the slow and sweet pace, letting his demon partner feel every bit of friction as his body moved within him. Yami continued to give the soft sounds of emotions brought upon by the sweet act they were consummating. Their link overflowed with lust, want, need and love for the other as Yugi continued to keep the steady pace. Yami bucked up slightly, wanting more from the young hikari but Yugi only stroke his side lightly.

"Not today, my dear darkness. I want this to be gentle and sweet. No more, no less. I want to make love to you that is pure and so loving that it would make you cry tears of joy and rid you of all insecurities. Ok? If you give me a chance like this again, I'll do as you wish."

"I will always give you a chance like this. All you have to do is ask me and I'll grant that wish just like you granted our wish for freedom. Now please, let me feel heaven, my sweet aibou!" Yami keened and Yugi nodded. "As you wish, my dark lover." Still keeping the slow pace, Yugi shifted angles and the tightening of Yami's tail about his waist indicated he found exactly what he was looking for.

Keeping the pace, even with Yami's tail gripping at his waist and trying to bring him in with more force to hit the bundle of nerves resting deep within the tight channel, he leaned down again to kiss the sweet lips of his dark and he returned it with fierce abandon, tongues twined together and bringing more of an euphoria to the pleasure that consumed them.

Grips tightened as their mouths fought for dominance and within the limit of five minutes, both arched together in an explosion of completion, Yami giving a long and loud roar as he released his load upon their stomachs and sheets. Yugi tensed as his release crashed down on him, filling Yami with his essence.

_**-End of lemon. Hoped you have enjoyed it. I just love writing these soft paced lemons. They seem so easy to me. Thank you tavi454 for the creative idea. I just love it so much and would've never thought of it if I didn't read it by someone like you-**_

He pulled out after a moment to regain his bearings and Yami's tail fell lax, hitting the bed with a soft thump on the silken sheets wet with sweat and Yami's essence. "That was wonderful, my sweet aibou. You were so wonderful and I loved every minute of our intimacy." Yami purred, pulling Yugi up to lay beside him. "I'm glad you did. Do you feel a little better now?" Yugi asked, rubbing lightly at the light red ring around his waist where Yami's tail was. It didn't leave anything harmful, just a slight sore. He nodded, eyes closed with content and some tears coursing down his face from how happy he felt.

"Then come on back outside. You need to rest and be ready for the finals tomorrow. I know you can make it through and save my grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. I'll be there with you every step of the way." he spoke and Yami nodded. They both got up after another extended moment of rest and pulled on their clothes and was soon outside of the puzzle. Aqua was asleep on the small divan that was in the room, covered with a thin sheet from the bed. Yugi and Yami curled up together in the bed and was soon asleep, exhausted from their late night activities.

* * *

It was 12 midnight at the castle and everyone was now peacefully asleep. All but one. Honda snuck out from his room and looked about the dark halls. _'Ok, no guards. So good so far.'_ he thought. _'Now, I know Mokuba and Kaiba are held prisoner in here somewhere. I owe it to Mokuba to save them.'_ After that thought, he was soon off to look for the prison or dungeon that could surely be in the castle, especially with its style.

In the dining room, Bakura was standing there, glad to have taken control while Ryou was asleep. He was gazing up at the picture of Shadi and smirked. _'And to think, I thought I would never see his face here. obviously Pegasus was fated to meet him during his lifetime.' _Bakura thought before turning, hearing someone walk in. Crimson's eyes glittered in the dark room and Bakura turned fully to him.

"So, any lowly guards to feast on in this dump?" Crimson smirked. "Tons of them just ripe for the plucking. Let's get going. We do this quick enough, we can put Ryou and Diamond back in bed before they wake up and realize they're in their soul room."

Bakura nodded in agreement and like the shadows, they disappeared from view. They could've easily hunted for Pegasus but rather save that kill when the time is right.

* * *

Dashing through the halls silently, Honda continued to search for a way that would lead to the possible holding area of the Kaiba brothers. Not far from him, around another corner, was Keith who woken up just to find someone to steal one of the glory cards from. And he had the perfect target in mind. He took a glance around the corner to make sure no guards were walking by and was shocked to see Honda roaming around. _'Why is he running around the castle this late at night!'_ he thought before smirking. _'Not that I'm one to be talking about sneaking around.'_

Honda stopped at another corner and took a glance around the corner, seeing two guards standing at an open entrance leading down. _'That must be the place of those guards are guarding it.'_ he thought.

"Who's there?" One shouted and Honda quickly brought his head back, thinking that they saw him.

He took another glance when he heard exactly who was there. "Don't mind us. We're just heading back to our rooms." Diamond spoke. "Fine then! Get out of here, you two!" The other replied. "My pleasure." she hissed as they walked off and yelped when they were grabbed and jerked around the corner. Ryou's eyes flashed angrily as he turned to see it was only Honda and resumed keeping his voice like Ryou's. "What are you doing up so late, Honda?" Bakura questioned quietly. "I should be asking you the same thing but in any case, I'm trying to rescue the Kaiba brothers." he replied.

"Oh."

Honda looked to the guards and then back to the other two. "You know, can you do me a huge favor." Bakura snorted. _'Like I would do favors for you.'_ he thought with a hiss before nodding. "What is it?"

"Distract the guards for me again. I need to get down those stairs but not with them around to see me." Bakura shrugged and turned from Honda, licking his fangs at the easy meal. "Sure, we'll lead them away." he said and Honda thanked him as they both left from the corner again. "Hey, what are you doing here again?" The first guard shouted. "We need your help. We saw something in another hallway that I think you two need to see." The guards murmured to one another before following Bakura and Crimson and with them gone, Honda headed down the stairs.

When Bakura, Crimson and the guards reached an empty hallway, the guards looked around before huffing. "There's nothing down here. We're on nothing but a wild goose chase."

"Oh really?" Bakura whispered and before they could even get a scream out, they were both tackled down and devoured without a sound.

* * *

Descending the stairs, Honda looked around and see he was exactly where he wanted to be. Cells lined the wall and he ran through the narrow corridor and soon spotted Mokuba within one of them. "Mokuba! Wake up!" he called but didn't get a response from the younger. _'He didn't even look at me. Did he really get his soul taken like Pegasus said?'_ he wondered and then froze when he felt the point of a gun near his head. "Well, well. I don't believe I invited a rat down here." A guard spoke and Honda gulped, raising up his hands in defeat.

* * *

Soft footsteps were heard as Keith started making his way towards Jou's room, ready to nab the card he needed to keep himself in the tournament and get rid of Jou all the same. He stopped at a door and smirked. _'This should be his room. I just need one of those cards to keep me in the game. Without them, I wouldn't been able to win that prize money.'_ He gave a smirk as he slowly opened the door. _'But they don't call me **Bandit** Keith for nothing. I always get my way no matter what necessary to do so.'_

He slipped into the partially open door and saw that Jou was out cold and his smirk widened. _'Damn, he looks like a moron when he's asleep.'_ he thought as he walked past the sleeping teen's bed and picked up his jacket, digging through the pockets until he claimed what he was looking for. "Got it." he whispered before he tossed the jacket back and was on his way to leaving out the room.

"I said I'd beat you, you jerk!" Jou cried out, making Keith freeze, thinking that he was awake. He turned back to the bed to see that Jou was still asleep, a small grin on his face. _'Little bastard talks in his sleep! Little fucker couldn't be any louder, can he?'_ he thought before he quickly made his departure, shutting the door behind him. "Well, at least I'm done here." he said as he stuffed the glory card in his pocket. He was about to leave when he heard another door opened and stood, with his back to the other as he waited to see what happens next.

"Jou? Is that you?" Yugi whispered, rubbing at his eyes lightly. "I thought I heard some voices...are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Keith said, trying to imitate Jou's voice and hope that it will convince Yugi enough so he could make his getaway. Yugi yawned before nodding. "Alright. Good night then." he whispered as he went back into his room and closed the door. Keith gave a sigh before smirking. _'That was a little too close but he took the bait.'_

His luck ran out when the door slammed opened again and a fully awake Yugi stared at him. "Wait, you're not Jou!" he cried and Keith snarled angrily. Yugi's eyes narrowed as he stared at him. "What are you doing in front of his room?"

"Keep your trap shut, you little brat!" Keith growled as he grabbed him, punching him harshly in the cheek and causing him to hit the nearby wall. The commotion woke up Yami and seeing Yugi wasn't in bed, he got up and started for the door. Yugi winced as he stood and Keith looked to him incredulously.

"You're still standing!" Keith hissed before grabbing him again. "If you don't get back into bed right now, I'll make sure that you won't duel tomorrow, you little brat!" he hissed, readying his fist for another attack but screamed as he felt sharp teeth dig into his arm. He looked down to see demonic cerise glaring into his own.

"What the fuck? Who are you?" Keith hissed before wincing as Yami's teeth dug deeper. "Let me go and he'll let you go." Yugi whispered as Keith dropped him. Yami let him go and hissed angrily. "Leave now and if I ever see you around this hall again tonight, you won't be around to duel tomorrow." Keith backed away, holding the heavily bleeding arm before dashing off down the hall.

"Jou can make him pay tomorrow." Yugi whispered before wincing, touching the spot that started to bruise from Keith's punch earlier. Yami looked to him and murred softly as he walked over to him, lifting the smaller into his arms. Zella poked her head out the room, hearing all the commotion and gasped when she saw the condition Yugi was in.

"What happened?" she asked. "Keith happened." Yami hissed. "I'll take care of this. You go ahead back to bed." She nodded and bid him goodnight before leaving back into her room. Yami turned back to theirs and walked inside, placing Yugi on the bed and raised a hand up, placing it over the bruise and it faded away till all that was left was pale skin with a slight buzz from the pain that was there earlier.

"Yami, what do you think Keith was doing in front of Jou's room?"

"I don't know but he surely came at the wrong time and place." Yami replied before nuzzling Yugi lightly. "You're ok now, right?" Yugi nodded. "Let's get some more sleep now. You have a big duel tomorrow that Mai is looking forward to." Yami nodded and they slipped back into bed before falling asleep once more.

* * *

-4:30 AM-

In the dungeons, Honda was grumbling to himself, stuck inside a cell after the guard caught him earlier. "This is pathetic!" he moaned to himself, shifting on the uncomfortable floor. The guard from earlier was watching him, unaware of the danger behind him. A claw reached out from the shadows and he gasped as it took hold of his head, bringing him in.

"Help! Help me!" The guard screamed and Honda looked up with horror as the guard was dragged off. Crunching noises were heard and he scampered farther into the cell when the figure appeared from the shadows. "Need a hand, Honda?" Bakura whispered as he revealed himself, holding the ring of keys that the guard had.

_'It can't be? Could that be the demon that rests within Ryou? Why would he help me?'_ Honda thought as Bakura unlocked the door to his cell. After he was free, they both left out the cell, grabbing Mokuba along the way and headed back upstairs just as dawn broke and the next round of the final tournament started with the first battle being Yami against Mai.

* * *

Yugi woke up before Yami and rubbed at his cheek lightly, the injury still stinging a bit before he stood to get ready._ 'Finally, the last leg of the tournament and only two duels to go through before reaching Pegasus. Hopefully Yami can make it through Mai.'_ After he was dressed, he woke up Aqua them Yami and let them get ready. While they were doing so, he brought out the 8mm player and turned it on, revealing his grandfather's facade.

"We're finally here, jii-chan. Yami will defeat Pegasus and bring your soul back to where it belongs." Yugi whispered and Sugoroku smiled. "That's wonderful news. But I want you to remember this, there are three people in the duelist world that the god of duelists never smiles upon. Cheater who would do anything to win..."

_'Like Keith.'_ Yugi thought to himself bitterly.

"Cowards who fear defeat and the arrogant who drowns in the power they believe to have. A true duelist never lose sight of their confidence or honor. Sometimes, even self-esteem becomes pride and that could be your downfall. Repeat these words to Yami, you are the one that balances his heart. If he tries to be overconfident, he will lose that sense of justice that he has. If that happens, you must jump in and help." he explained and Yugi nodded. "I understand."

Yami and Aqua stepped out of the room along with Jou, Kaiser, Ruby, Zella and Keara. "Ready to go, guys?" Keara asked and they nodded. "Then let's go to the arena!" Jou called and they were all on their way to the arena where they will be analyzed over by Pegasus as they dueled. Yugi looked up to Yami and took hold of his hand. "Whatever you do, Yami, don't lost confidence but don't overflow it, ok?" Yami nodded.

_'I need to remember why I've joined this tournament. To save Yugi's grandfather as well as the Kaiba brothers who got themselves caught in Pegasus' twisted game and lost their souls. No matter what, I cannot lose.'_ he thought as they reached the door where Croquet was waiting for them.

"Duelists of the championship tournament, we have been waiting for you. Please, enter the room. Other guests may take the stairs to the second level to watch." Croquet spoke and they bid them good luck as they left Jou and Yami to walk through the doors as they headed up to the second level. "You know what, I just thought of something. Where's Diamond, Honda and Ryou?" Kaiser asked.

"I don't know. You don't think they both left to go find Mokuba or Kaiba, do you?" Zella added.

"Chances are they did. I told Honda if he could find their bodies, I could break the spell that Pegasus used to seal their souls and return them back to their bodies since I believed if I tried without the bodies in close range, it wouldn't work." Aqua responded. They nodded and once they reached the second floor, they looked down to the arena where the four finalists waited.

Mai turned when she heard them entered and smiled to see that Yami was back. "Good morning, boys." she greeted before facing Yami. "Glad to see you back. I was looking forward to this duel ever since you helped me back in the forest. I hope you have your game cause I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Neither will I." Yami spoke, knowing that he must try and finish the duel quickly. _'If I'm to reach Pegasus, I can't dawdle.'_

Keith glared at Yami, a strip of cloth possibly coming from one of the bedsheets in his room wrapped around the bite mark Yami gave to him last night. _'Damn him. So Kozuka wasn't kidding when he said that Yami was a demon.'_ he thought before turning to Jou who was giving him a heated glare.

"I can't wait til our duel! I'm going to make sure you pay for trapping us in that cave!" Jou hissed and Keith chuckled. _'Yeah, kid. Bellow all you want but you'll be disqualified before you even place your deck on the table. I have you qualification card so the prize money will be mine.'_ Keith thought.

They looked up when they heard Pegasus entered and Yami's eyes narrowed. _'You fiend. I'll make sure to deal with you quickly.'_ he thought growling deep in his throat. "Welcome, proud duelists! welcome to the final stage of the tournament that you have worked your way to!" Pegasus spoke as he looked down to them all with a smile. "The one who survived the tournament will be given the prize of the champions! Please, let me give you a preview of what awaits the one who wins!"

The two suits that were with him reached for a chest that rested behind the chair where Pegasus would sit and brought it out to the front, opening it to reveal the chest brimming with gems, gold coins and pearls.

"A prize of $200,000!"

Mai's eyes glittered as she looked at the plentiful bounty while Jou tried to count off how much the money was worth in yen._ 'With that much, I can save Shizuka from her blindness.'_ he thought, smiling that he still had a chance to help his sister.

"Hold it right there! You don't get this prize just by defeating the other three finalists! You'll have to defeat master Pegasus as well before you can claim the prize money and title of Duelist King!" Pegasus chuckled quietly to himself. "I wonder who will defeat me? I'm eagerly waiting to see who will reach the top." he spoke.

Yami knew that with the Sennen Eye in his possession, the other didn't stand a chance. He was the only hope for anything. He had three lives on the line and he still knew that if he didn't reach Pegasus, then they were doomed for eternity. But also thought about Jou and the fact he needed that prize money to save his sister. _'Then we'll both just have to win. He'll get the prize money and I'll free Kaiba, Mokuba and Sugoroku.'_ He turned his gaze back to Pegasus. _'I'm coming for you and I'll make sure that you pay!'_

Croquet walked in and stood before the four finalists, a screen appearing above the table that show the tournament battles. "The first round of the tournament will be Yami vs. Mai Kujaku." Yami pulled out the deck from his pocket and went to sit down, Mai doing the same. "Before you start the duel, show me the card proving your right to duel." Croquet spoke and Yami showed him the Honor of the King's Left while Mai showed the Honor of the King's Right.

"Very good. Then proceed." he said before moving out of the way. Keith and Jou left to head up to the second level as the duel started. Mai looked to Yami quietly. "Yami...it was my dream to fight you on this island and no I finally have that chance." she spoke but noticed that his gaze wasn't even trained on her. She saw the tense shoulders. _'Now the question is will I get the duel I'm looking for? You are the ideal duelist that everyone would want a chance at fighting. you look as if fighting me is nothing compared to the challenge awaiting you if you win against me to fight Pegasus. But you should know, this game won't seem so easy if you're not focused on your opponent.'_

"Are you ready, Yami?"

"Yes, I am! Let's start!"

They drew their five cards and Yami smirked to Mai. "You aren't going to use your aroma-tactics again?" he questioned.

"Nope. This time, I don't need any tricks." Mai replied. _'No tricks is needed this time. You know them so well. All I need is my eyes to defeat you. With the way you are now, you're no match for me.'_ She drew another card and picked one from her hand. "I'll start and I'll send out Harpy Lady in attack!" she said, sending out the flying monster onto the field.

"Hey! That's the same starting card she used on me! She can't expect for Yami to fall for the same tricks?" Jou said. "Indeed, Jounouchi. I know that, that's why i'm not done yet. I place one card face down and then I end my turn." she finished, giving the turn to Yami. _'So, she has a face down. There are many possibilities but I have Gaia, one of my best cards, now. So he can take out her harpy even with a power-up.'_ Yami thought as he sent out said card.

"I send out Gaia the Fierce Knight!" he said as the horseman appeared on the field, Gaia's horse rearing up with a whinny. "Attack her Harpy Lady." The monster surged forward, double lances ready to pierce her monster. Mai smirked, seeing that Yami already fallen for her trap. "I activate a trap card! Mirror Wall!" Yami's eyes widened as he heard the name of the card. _'Mirror Wall?'_ he thought as a wall that revealed the reflection of Gaia appeared on the mirror and his monster pierced his own reflection.

"New to this one, aren't you? The let me explain. Mirror Wall is a trap card that brings up a mirror of your monster, blocking your attack from my own. But that's not all it does. Because of your monster attacking itself, it causes him to halve his own attack points." she explained and Yami gasped as Gaia's attack decreased down to 1150. "Now, it's my turn. I'll play the equip spell card, Cyber Bondage on my harpy and have her attack Gaia the Fierce Knight." she said as the armor appeared on Harpy Lady and she made her attack, slashing Gaia to ribbons.

_'No! she was able to take out my main card!'_ he thought in shock as his life points decreased to 1350 and Mai gave a chuckle. "When she wears Cyber Bondage, Harpy Lady is stronger than ever! Add that with the cutting powers of Mirror Wall and your monsters are surely not a match!" she spoke. "Looks like you underestimated me, Yami. You fell for my trap too easily."

Yami growled a little before he took his turn, drawing the Summoned Skull. _'Good, the Summoned Skull can easily overpower the Harpy Lady's 1800 attack.'_ he said. Mai caught the glimmer in his eyes and smirked. _'Seems you drew a good card, Yami. Then go ahead and play it...my trap is still waiting in the wings for your next attack.'_

"I play one card face down then I summoned the Skull Demon! Attack the Harpy with Demon Lightning!" he called and as the demon appeared, ready to attack, Mai laughed. "Reactivate trap card! Mirror Wall!" she said, flipping over the card once more. _'Again? Is it another trap or...!'_ he thought in shock as Summoned Skull attacked his own reflection once again, causing his attack to be cut down to 1250. _'Then it must be true...her Mirror Wall is a permanent trap!'_

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you figured it out. My Mirror Wall trap card is a permanent trap and there's no way how you can get around it!" Mai said. Yami snorted lightly. "Normally, I deal with trap cards that disappear after one turn. But there are some exceptions..." he spoke. "I see you at least know about them. As you can see, Mirror Wall is one of the rarest kinds and hard to find. As long as I have this card on the board, the wall will appear over and over again...every time you declare an attack!"

_'If that's true, then his monsters are useless!'_ Yugi thought as they watched from the balcony. "There's something wrong. The way he duels is not the same. It's if he's trying to rush through things without thinking." Kaiser said. "I know. He must still be burdened with what happened that he wants to be done dueling and be alone." Zella said then looked to Yugi.

"Isn't there something you can do? He can't go on like this." Yugi only nodded, agreeing with her last statement but he doesn't know what he could do. He tried his best to help him last night. _'But I guess I only got rid of the problem from his mind, not from his heart.'_ he thought. _'What can I do. I'm supposed to protect you and Aqua from burden but such a life changing thing seem impossible to correct now.'_

Aqua felt the emotion from his side of the link and quietly walked over, purring softly as he nudged his cheek and Yugi turned to him, tears gathering into his eyes. Aqua brought him into his arms and Yugi cried softly, clenching his shirt with tiny fists as he buried his face into his chest. Aqua frowned as he looked down to him and then back to the duel. _'Yami, you're stronger than this. The last thing we want to do is become a demon like Bakura and Crimson but you can't let that get in the way of why we were given this chance again.'_

"This is such a letdown...I was hoping to fight you at top skill, Yami, but this is what you give me. From the moment you sat down to duel me, I could see the invisible pressure squeezing the life from you. When true duelists come to fight, there's an aura of battle but as I sit here with you, there's only irritation and sadness." she started, watching him.

He stayed silent and he knew that if his tail was showing, it would be twitching with that same irritation. "Let me guess...you're thinking about fighting Pegasus and the sadness coming from the risk of you losing against him! Am I right?" she questioned, surprising him and the others watching, all but Pegasus who sat there with a grim smile on his face.

"So I'm not even worth your full attention if you don't even give me a response." She tsked to herself lightly. "You thought you had this duel won as soon as you sat down...but you're distracted with the thought of Pegasus watching us!" she spoke. Yugi looked up when he heard this and then to Yami to see his reaction. /He's looks scared, Aqua. Not because of what happened with the duel between him and Seto, but from the thought of losing to Pegasus./ Yugi spoke.

/It sure does. And its possibly that only you can do something to ease that. But you may not have to if Mai is trying to do so herself./ Aqua replied.

Yami's heart was pounding. He knew that Mai was right. He could feel Pegasus prying into his mind, watching him much more closely than the others would think. Pegasus smirked, eyes boring a hole right through Yami. _'Yami-boy...the little lady is correct...I can see your mind and you have no chance of beating me!'_ he thought. Yami snarled angrily before sending a glare to Mai, pupils becoming slitted. "Say what you want after you beat me!" he growled. "Let's get on with this duel!"

/Yami! Don't lose your cool! We don't want a repeat of what happened before!/ Yugi cried through he mind link and he instantly relaxed but his eyes were still as they were. "Oh? Now you're trying to intimidate me? You should know that aggressive men are weak. All that anger that you possess is nothing but a bluff! To hide the weakness that your truly feeling!" Mai continued, causing Yami to growl more.

/Relax!/ Yugi said again, knowing he needed to keep Yami calm so as to not reveal his demon form. "Don't listen to her, Yami! She's just trying to provoke you! Howl if you're a man!" Jou shouted and Zella placed a hand over his mouth. "Shut it!" she hissed before looking back to Mai.

_'But to me, it doesn't seem as if she's trying to provoke him, but to get his mind off of Pegasus and get into the duel.'_ Zella thought and Aqua was listening closely before nodding his agreement. Mai smiled, seeing that she got through to him. _'Looks like you've started to wake up. Now we can really fight the duel I was waiting for. Forget about Pegasus right now. Let me see the eyes that shows you would murder the enemy in front of your with your cards.'_ she thought.

"Here I go, Yami! The real fight starts right now!" she called.

"Bring it on!" he replied, eyes gleaming with the will to fight this duel. "She did it. She got through to Yami." Aqua spoke and Yugi looked up to him. "How?" Aqua smiled as he looked down to him. "With the same tactic Yami uses. To get into your mind with words." Yugi looked down in amazement and then smiled. _'Thank you, Mai.'_

"My turn." she spoke, drawing her card and looked to the field. _'Let's see, I clearly have the Skull Demon done with but I can't risk it with that face down card on the field. It could be a trap that could affect me.'_ she contemplated before making her move. "Instead of attacking, I'll use this card. Harpy's Feather Duster!" Yami tched to himself as he lifted the card to show her what it was.

"It was Spellbinding Circle. If you had attacked me, this would've activated and snared your harpy. You took a good read." he said, placing the card into the graveyard. "I'm a cautious player, Yami. You should follow that example." she spoke as Yami started his turn.

Since he knew he couldn't attack as long as Mirror Wall was on the field, he switched the Skull Demon into defense and sent out Feral Imp in defense mode as well. "Back to me. I play another equipment card on my harpy! Electro-Whip!" The Harpy Lady gave a screech, the weapon appearing in her claws and Yami hissed. _'She's powering up her harpy while using that Mirror Wall as a shield. She's definitely improved since the battle she had with Jou.'_

"Prey on the Feral Imp. Punish it with your whip!"

As commanded, the Harpy Lady whipped the Feral Imp right off the field but luckily, it was in defense so he didn't lose any life points. "Watch out, Yami! She's going to use that card to multiply her harpy sooner or later!" Jou shouted from the sidelines. "I play Saiga!" Yami spoke, sending out the monster in defense mode. "My turn again." Mai spoke, drawing her card.

_'With this, my harpy combo is only 70 percent complete. It may not be at full power but it will be enough to defeat you, Yami._' she thought. "Here I go, Yami. This is the Harpies' ultimate servant. Meet the Harpies' Pet Dragon!" The dragon gave a roar as it appeared on the field, the chain connected to its collar now in the Harpy Lady's claw.

"This cute little dragon is the well-trained pet of the harpies. Now why don't I show you its power up front! Go, Dragon! Kill the Skull Demon with Saint Fire Giga!" Mai called and the dragon roared, gathering a huge ball of fire in its mouth before letting it loose right towards the Skull Demon, destroying it with ease. Once the smoke cleared, Mai caught Yami's eye. "Yami, you lost sight of something this entire time. It's something you can show...but can't see." she spoke and Yami noticed it was his own riddle. "Until you can find that answer, there's no way you can defeat me."

"Mai! That's the question I asked you in our duel! Have you even found that answer yet?" Jou shouted.

"Yes, I do remember, Jounouchi. I came up with my own answer." she replied.

Jou snorted. "Then I'll answer in place of Yami! It's friendship of course! The fiery spirit of friends and having them back you up with you need them!" Mai chuckled before giving a curt no. "Wh-What d'you say!" Jou growled before Kaiser whapped him in the back of the head. "Will you stop trying to be something you're not!" She chuckled softly as he watched him. _'Jounouchi...you taught me the answer. You should know what it is. How do you think an amateur card player like you survived Duelist Kingdom? Tell me that...and you'll have your answer.'_

"Your move, Yami!" she called. _'Though the man I'm fighting probably won't guess it so soon.'_ Yami drew a card, seeing it was the Black Magician. _'The pet dragon has 2300 attack. It could fall easily to my Black Magician if it wasn't for the trap card on the field.'_ he contemplated. _'So in that case, a trap for a trap.'_ He placed Mirror Force face down on the field before sending out Black Magician in defense. "And I'm done."

"My turn again." Mai whispered as she drew a card and smiled. _'With this, my combo will be 80 percent complete. Yami...it useless to set a trap for me for I will always be one trap ahead of you.'_

"For me next card, I play Shadow of Eyes!" she spoke. Seeing Yami's bewildered look, he told him to look at the field for the card's effect. "My magician! He went out of defense and into attack!"

"That's right! Shadow of Eyes lures an enemy into battle. The Harpy's battle pheromones stimulates a foe's fighting instinct so high that it can't be avoided. So the Black Magician instinctively attack the Harpy Lady! And you know what happens!" she explained as the Black Magician readied for his attack which triggered Mirror Wall and he attacked himself with his own Black Magic attack, causing him to halve his own attack down to 1250. "And now, I'll play this card again. Harpy's Feather Duster! I simply don't like that card so I'm destroying it." Yami watched as his Mirror Force was destroyed.

"Now, pet dragon! Attack once more! Saint Fire Giga!" With another blast of fire, the Black Magician was destroyed. Yami's life points decreased down to 300 and Yami was starting to worry. _'I can't lose here. If I do, it's all over for the Kaiba brothers and Yugi's grandfather.'_

"So, Yami, what do you think of my harpy combo now?"

_'Wonderful! Her Harpy deck has no weaknesses. On the other hand, poor Yami has doubt creeping into his heart. I can see the color of defeat coloring his soul now.'_ Pegasus thought as he continued to watch the duel with interest. "Yami, What's going on, now?" Jou called. "It seems like Mai become a million times stronger than with she fought you, Jou." Zella whispered. "I can't believe this. I was just lucky when I beat her the first time." Jou spoke.

"That wasn't luck, Jounouchi. Back when I fought you, I was actually fighting as hard as I could. If you want to know the truth, when you beat me, even with my tricks, I was devastated. I went into denial after that duel and I tried to turn me eyes away from the fact that I lost. And when I confronted my real self, I understood the meaning of those words." she explained.

Her explanation finally made Yami realize exactly what he lost. _'She's right, in that duel with Kaiba, I lost my mind and succumbed to my demon urges. He was willingly going to kill himself if I attacked and as a demon, I fell for the bribe. My conscious mind knew that I couldn't lose...I was afraid to lose. But I wasn't the only one.'_

He turned to gaze up at Yugi who watched him. _'He was afraid that I would kill Kaiba but still held up strong and did something no other would do and that's to stop a demon before he could kill. His strength made up for the weakness that I felt that day...which is the answer to the riddle!'_ he turned back to Mai who was patiently waiting for him to start his turn. "Mai," he whispered. "I'm proud that I got to fight you today. And now, the real fight begins here and now!" She chuckled, glad that Yami got back into the game but he was a little late. "I'm glad to hear that but even you can't turn this situation around." she spoke.

"We'll see about that! My go!"

Yugi turned up to Aqua with a smile. "I'm glad we finally got him back but what if he doesn't draw a card that could help him turn this duel around?" Aqua chuckled. "That's where you come in." he whispered and Yugi wondered what he meant when he felt a mild surge run through him and he found himself in the depths of the puzzle.

/Project yourself beside Yami. Make the draw with him that will bring out the card needed to help him./ Aqua's voice spoke and Yugi nodded as he brought his spirit from the puzzle to stand next to Yami. Yami turned to him when he felt his presence near and smiled. Yami placed a hand over the deck to draw the card and Yugi did the same, smiling to him as they picked up the card.

"My card is Brain Control!" he announced and Mai gasped. _'Not Brain Control!'_ she thought with worry. "I'm guessing you know the effect of this card. And if you do then I shall go ahead and use this card for its purpose." he said, placing the card onto the field. "I'll take over your Harpies' Pet Dragon!"

The dragon roared as it shifted to Yami's side of the field, roaring at the Harpy Lady which caused her to reel back from her own pet under someone else's control. Mai was shocked as well but only smiled. "I'm sorry. You may have control fo the dragon but he is the Harpy Lady's faithful servant. He'll never attack his own master, even if he's brain washed."

"I know. But I'm not attacking your harpy." he said and that threw Mai for a loop and wondering what he was planning to do. "Now, I play this card face down and send out Catapult Turtle!" he said, the mechanized turtle appearing on the field. "Now, I strap your dragon onto the turtle and prepare it for the launch."

"No!" she shouted, knowing what he was planning to do once he sent out Catapult Turtle. _'With its ability to destroy walls and fortresses...!'_

"And right on cue, the Mirror Wall appears. Ready for Launch, Catapult Turtle." The monster angled the launching pad loaded with Harpies' Pet Dragon towards the wall. Yami gave the signal to launch and the Catapult Turtle shot the pet dragon towards the wall which shattered it and also destroyed her dragon. Her Mirror Wall card fazed from the field and she realized that it wasn't only her trap card that he destroyed. "I hope you realize that whaen you use Catapult Turtle to fire a monster, half of the monster's attack points comes out of the life points of its owner..."

"What? But I-" she started but Yami raised a hand.

"In other words, half of the Harpies' Pet Dragon original 2300 attack comes from your life points!" Mai was stunned as her life points decreased down the 850. She then smiled, praising Yami for the combo he came up with just in the nick of time. "Yeah! Yami can still make a comeback!" Jou cheered. "Looks like he has his spirit back. The thing he lost greatly due to Seto's trickery." Ruby whispered softly. Kaiser looked to him fondly before placing a hand over his. "How could someone so kind not end up like Kaiba?" he asked.

"Guess I'm just the more reasonable one of our family." he replied, smiling down to him.

Up on his little platform, Pegasus watched still, eyes never wavering from Yami and each move he made. _'Some kind of change had appeared...'_ he thought as he continued to watch. _'Resolve is a fickle thing and both you and Yugi made me realize that. Now that resolve shall be tested.'_ Yami thought quietly to himself, the spirit of Yugi's self still by his side and monitoring his every move.

"My turn!" Mai spoke, drawing a card and then looked to the field. _'I could attack him since his turtle's left in attack mode, and then he'll lose.'_ Her eyes fell to the face down card on his field. _'But that face down card worries me and I don't have any more Harpies' Feather Dusters in hand. So what should I do? Attack or not attack?'_ she wondered before looking to Yami, his eyes showing no signs of what the card could be, which irked her even more and made her suspicions rise. His eyes pierced into her own, tempting her into attacking and possibly falling for his hidden trap.

"Well, I won't attack, not on this round. Instead, I'll play this card. Elegant Egotist! Bring out the Harpy Lady Sisters!" she said as the magic did its work, bringing out the three harpy sisters. "Are you ready, Yami? On my next turn, you'll have to face the harem of hell!" Mai said as she passed the turn to Yami who didn't look phased at all by the happenings of her turn. He smirked and said the words that shocked her.

"I would've lost if you attacked me that turn, Mai." he spoke after drawing his card. "My face down was really," He flipped over the card, revealing it to be Monster Recovery. _'So, it wasn't a trap after all! And I fell for it!'_ Mai thought as Yami brought back his monsters and refreshed his hand. _'But even so, on my next turn, no matter what you send out, it's no match for my harpies and I'll defeat you then.'_

Yami drew a new hand and examined the cards, seeing that none could defeat her harpies. "I hope you remember, Yami, my harpies' Shadow of Eyes pheromones still affects the field so your monsters will be forced to attack and their triangle attacks deals 2700 points of damage. You lost!" she spoke and Yugi looked to him with worry. /She can't be right, can she?/ he asked softly. /No. I will figure a way out of this, Yugi. I'm not going to fail you./ he responded as he looked to the field in thought. Yugi looked to the field as well before realizing something.

/Wait! I have an idea. Shadow of Eyes puts any monster into attack mode, right? But what if it only affected male monsters? The harpies are females so that has to be it!/ Yugi spoke and Yami nodded in agreement. /You have a point there. So I still have a chance if what you say is right./ He gave a mental smile to the little hikari. /I love you so much, little one./ Yugi gave a smile in return as he played the only card that would handle itself against the harpies' seduction.

"I'll play this card in defense!" he called and Mai laughed.

"It's over! Your monster will only be forced to attack!" she said but gasped when she saw what he played. It was Mystical Elf. "So I was right. The harpies' pheromones only work on male monster. Not the females. So she stays in defense since she's not affected by Shadow of Eyes." Yami explained before ending his turn. "You're slick, Yami, but it will all end soon." she said as she drew her card. "First, I'll play this! Monster Reborn!" She played the card and he snarled lightly, knowing what she planned to bring back. The Harpies' Pet Dragon came back with a roar and a new attack of 2900 due to three harpies being on the field now with its return.

"And now, my harpies will attack with Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" The three harpies each gathered a energy orb in hand that soon connected together with a strand of energy from each before shooting out in the form of a X that destroyed the Mystical Elf with its power. "It's your last turn now! You don't have another trick up your sleeve that will save you this time!" Mai spoke.

Yami knew she was right and can only hope in the card resting on the top of his deck. Yugi wrapped his arms around his, hoping that whatever card that was at the top will be the one that would end the duel. /I put all my hope into this card and I'm sure that Mokuba, Jii-chan, even Kaiba is putting their hope into this card too./ Yugi said and Yami nodded as he reached out and drew the card.

"Swords of Revealing Light!" he called as the glowing swords of pure light appeared on her field, freezing her monsters in place for the next three turns. _'I can't believe it! He drew that card...just when he needed it!'_

"Yeah! He's still hanging on! You can win, Yami!" Jou called from the sidelines. "You still show a futile gesture for survival. Fine, let's see what you can do in three turns." she said. _'The only way how I can win this now is to bring out the legendary Black Luster Soldier. That's the only way how I can win this.' _he thought as he send out Kuriboh. Mai stared at the monster for a moment before she started to snicker. "He's so wimpy! He's affected by Shadow of Eyes and ready to attack! He should know he can't stand a chance against them!"

"Mai, out of thousands of cards, I believe in this. It may not have much attack but its capable of things no other monster can do." he said before ending his turn. Mai only snorted, drawing a card before ending her turn as well. He drew a card before looking to his hand. _'Nothing here will help bring up the Black Luster Soldier. What I need the most if the key card, The ritual to summon it._' Mai watched him carefully, trying to figure out what he was planning but his eyes kept the secret well guarded.

_'Well, whatever it could be, I'm sure it won't be able to stop me.'_

"I play Monster Reborn and bring back Gaia the Fierce Knight." he said and the horseman appeared back onto the field. Everyone was still trying to figure out what eh was trying to do but only Pegasus, who still observed the duel, knew that he was trying to bring out the Black Luster Soldier. _'But the question is, can he draw the key card before the swords disappear.'_

Mai took her turn and drew a card, seeing it was another harpy. With another harpy, her dragon will be up to 3200 and she knew that no monster would be able to stand up to it. Not ever Kaiba's Blue Eyes. "Your turn, Yami! Your swords last for only one more turn. If you can succeed with anything now, you're doomed!" she said, giving the turn to him. he eyed his deck, knowing that if he didn't draw the key card now, then he would lose the duel and the last chance to saving Yugi's grandfather and the Kaiba brothers' souls. _'This is my last chance, will there be a light of victory or a dark pit leading to defeat?'_

_'Did he do it? Did he get the card he needed?'_ Pegasus wondered.

"I'll play one card face down and then place Griffor in attack mode. I end my turn." he said, placing the monster onto the field. Mai only chuckled, her mind wondering why he played another low level monster but didn't swell on it forever since she was one step closer to winning the duel. "The swords vanishes finally, leaving me open for attack. This is it, Yami! Now show me what you did with the three extra turns you'd given yourself!" Mai spoke, itching to play the fourth harpy and increasing her dragon's attack to a point that no monster can beat.

"What I did is gathered the pieces for victory." he spoke. "I reveal the face down card! Black Luster Ritual! Now let the ritual begin!" he called as two chamber pots appeared on the field. "I offer two servants for sacrifice! Kuriboh and Griffor! One soul to Light and one soul to Darkness! Between them do the gates of Chaos open. Now Gaia, charge into the gate and suffuse its power with you, turning you into the ultimate warrior!" he declared and Gaia's horse gave a whinny before charging forward into the vortex that opened up and soon, the warrior appeared onto the field, emanating a great power.

"I bring to you, Black Luster Soldier!"

Mai looked at the monster, near feeling the great power it had, surpassing her own dragon with a mere 100 points. "Now, Black Luster Soldier! Attack with Chaos Blade!" Yami called and the warrior raised his sword up high before sending a mighty slash towards the Harpies' Pet Dragon, destroying it while the harpies flew out of the way. "Your dragon is dead!" Mai and the harpies watched as the dragon was sliced clean in half before disappearing from the field, Mai's life points decreasing to 750.

Pegasus watched Mai closely and saw that the flames of battle was leaving her mind, showing him that the duel was finally over. _'If only I had the chance to send out this harpy, I would have won, even if he brought the Black Luster Soldier onto the field. With 3000 attack, my harpies surely can't defeat it.'_ She gave a small sigh before smiling. _'Yami, you have won this duel but next time, I'll be victor.'_

/Yami, look./ Yugi whispered, pointing to Mai's hand and he looked down, seeing it rest over her deck, a gesture of surrender. /She gave up./

"I don't want to see my harpies hurt. You won, Yami. Even with the struggles you went through, you still came out on top." Mai said, looking to him. He nodded before smiling. "Mai, thank you for your help. You made me realize what I was missing." he said and she nodded. He send a small glance over to Yugi. /And I thank you as well, my sweet lover./ Yugi smiled to him before his corporeal form disappeared from beside him and appeared back beside Aqua once more. Aqua smiled down to him as Yami was declared the winner by Croquet.

"Yami...there are two ways of losing. A loss where everything ends for you and a loss which is only another step on the road of victory. I will become strong from this loss and I'll grab the dream waiting at the end of that road!"

He nodded and they both shook hands, the flames of battle between the two now becoming embers.

* * *

Zypher: And there, an extremely long chapter for an extremely long wait. Hoped you all enjoyed and sadly, I won't be placing in a Duel Monster story for this chapter but there is a possible one for next chapter. Anywho, hope you enjoyed the read and I'll get the next one up a little sooner than this. Next up, Jou vs Keith! Hope you'll be waiting!


	16. Second Round of Finals, part 1

Zypher: Ok, I lied. I didn't get this out sooner than you all were expecting but I'm working on it now and here's the finished product. So here we are with the Jounouchi and Keith duel that you all must be waiting for. I thank all of those that reviewed the last chapter so here's the next for you. Enjoy.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 16

* * *

After the announcement was made of Yami's win, Mai stood and walked from the platform. Yami stood as well as the others ran down to congratulate him on the win. "I was worried about ya for a second but I knew you'd pull through." Jou cheered. _'Yes, but I had many to thank. Yugi for his support and Mai for showing me what I was on the verge of loosing.'_ he thought. They heard faint clapping and turned to see Pegasus clapping.

"Good work, Yami-boy...and to think, I wasn't expecting you to pull through."

Yami growled, eyes narrowing as he send a glare in Pegasus' direction. _'You better be ready, Pegasus! I'm only steps away from reaching your domain!'_ he thought venomously. "We will now start the second half of the tournament! Will the next two duelists please step forward!" Yami turned to glance over to Jou who flinched. "Well, it's time, Jounouchi. Go on." Yami spoke before moving away from the platform. _'I'm sure not ready for this.'_ he thought but brought up his game face and step forward.

"Alrighty then! Here goes nothing!"

Keith was already on the other side, lounging about with his feet propped on the dueling table. He gave a mediocre yawn and Jou seethed with anger. "Hey? Get your feet off the table!" he shouted. Keith glanced over to Jou over the rim of his glasses and chuckled. "Shit...a baby like you's gonna fight me? Do you really think you can beat me?" he questioned.

"I don't like seeing the bottom of anyone boots but you are about a worthless as dog crap on the soles of mine!" He gave another laugh but looked over when Yami gave a hiss in disdain. "Such filth as you doesn't even deserve to roam the dueling world! This is a duelist's battlefield and if you desecrate it, obviously that means you're not meant for it."

Keith gave a snort. "Yeah, its a battlefield alright but does your brat of a friend really have the gall to be called a duelist?" he gave another chuckle and Jou growled.

"What'd you say..."

Another laugh from Keith before he revealed the card. "Remember this? I remember that you need one of these to participate in this here tournament. I'm sure that you also need this card just to sit at this table. Right, Jounouchi?"

"Yeah, yeah! I know that!" Jou muttered as he dug in the pocket he kept in the pocket but found it was missing. "What the...?" He dug his his other pocket and found it wasn't there either. "Aw hell...where is it?" he murmured to himself, checking his pockets twice over and still nothing. "Ugh. Jou! You didn't lose that card, did you?" Kaiser hissed.

Keith smirked and looked to Croquet. "Hey you! Since the baby doesn't have that card, does that mean he can't duel?"

"Yes! Those without the card will be disqualified!" he spoke.

"Hey! Hang on one sec here! I know I have that card somewhere!" Jou yelled. _'I know I have it! Aqua gave it to me last night so there's no way how I could have lost it!'_ he thought in panic. Keith was still smirking as he held Jou's card in hand. "Guess you're shit out of luck, kid." he spoke, thinking to himself how stupid Jou was that he will never learn that he stolen the card from him the night before._ 'You win some, you lose some. That how the dice roll in the world of games and you fail that test big time!'_

"Jou! You must have left the card somewhere!" Yugi called and Jou had a light lit up in his head. "You're right! It must be in my room somewhere." he said before running off. "I'll be right back and I'll have that card with me!"

"You have five minutes!" Croquet called and Jou stopped in horror as he turned to look to the older man. "What?"

"Like I said. You have five minutes. If you do not possess the card within the time limit, you are deemed disqualified and Keith will win by default."

"But that isn't fair!" Myrrh cried. "Jou won't be able to make it to and from his room in five minutes!" Jou didn't risk a single second and was bolting off towards the double doors leading back to the rooms. Yugi watched him go before turning to Yami. "Do...do you think he'll make it in time, Yami?" he asked softly.

"I'm sure he will. But I feel that something's fishy going on here." Yami murmured, gaze trained on Keith.

* * *

Jou ran through the halls for all his worth, praying for the best to come out of all this. He didn't notice that he came by Diamond, Honda and Ryou who were coming up from the dungeon area, Honda's mind wiped clean of Bakura and Crimson helping him the night before and both Ryou and Diamond not knowing how they got there but were thinking about it having some connection to the two evil spirits within.

Back in the main room, Keith was still lounging around. He was getting irritated and looked to Croquet, asking him if the five minutes were up yet and he was given a response of it only being three minutes hat has went by as of now. He gave a sound of annoyance.

_'This is the most useless five minutes of my life! Hurry it up so this kid can fail and I can get my revenge back on Pegasus for what he has done to me!'_

Yugi gripped onto Yami's arm, looking up to him. "Yami...five minutes isn't going to be enough time for Jou to get back! He's going to be disqualified at this rate!" Yugi cried. "Shit, kid! Just shut up alright!" Keith called and looked to Croquet again.

"As for you, just disqualify the little shit already! He's not gonna be back on time whatsoever! for all we know, he used loosing that card as a excuse to dodge this duel cause he knows he won't win against me!" Keith gave a raucous laugh. "He's nothing but a chicken and is probably bawling his eyes out!"

Aqua gave a roar, shocking Keith from his taunting. "I suggest you button that yap of yours before I rip it off! You disrespected Jou enough and I'm getting tired of your banter! He will come back and he will defeat you!" he snarled. Keith actually flinched at the anger radiating off of him and stayed silent. After dealing with the wound from Yami's bite from last night, he didn't even want to risk what Aqua could do.

"The boy has one minute left!" Croquet called.

* * *

Jou panted hard as he returned back to the double door within the time limit but still empty-handed._ 'I...I couldn't find it anywhere.'_ he thought and closed his eyes as tears threatened to spill._ 'I came to this island in hopes to save my sister and dueling was the only way...but the come this far and fail in the end...I guess it was nothing but luck that drove me this far...'_ He slammed a fist onto the floor.

"Why am I so stupid!" he cried to himself. _'Shizuka...I can't even bring the light to you again...forgive me...'_

He didn't hear anyone walking before him until a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Stand up, Jounouchi!" Mai called. Jou reacted slightly but didn't turn to look her in the eye. "Hey! Save those tears if you lose the duel!" He finally glanced up to her before turning his head away. "Mai...don't even look at me..." he whispered.

"If you don't want anyone looking at ya, why'd you come in the first place?" she questioned before sighing and reached into her pocket, taking out a folded handkerchief. "Here. Take this." Jou looked back to her once again and saw the item and was silent for a moment before reaching out to take the cloth from her. When he touched it though, it was already wet from her tears.

"Kaiser told me about your sister." she murmured and Jou looked to her again. "Kid, don't give up so easily on those dreams of yours. That tear you just shed...let that be the light of hope." she spoke before walking past him.

Jou watched her go before looking back to the cloth. He was about to wipe his tears away when he felt something was wrapped within and unraveled the handkerchief to see it was Mai's qualification card.

"I don't need it anymore." she whispered as if she knew that Jou finally noticed the card in his hands. "Mai..." he whispered. "Go on. Get going! You don't have time for the idle chit chat!" she spoke, turning to him again but with a smile on her face. "Show that low down Keith whose boss around here." After that was said, she walked off and Jou smiled before turning back to the doors and to his destiny. His friends turned and smiled. "Jou! You made it!" Myrrh cheered.

"We were getting worried about you." Kaiser added.

He held up the card to Croquet as he walked over to the dueling table. "There! You satisfied now! Here's your stinkin' card!" he muttered. Croquet flinched, whispering to himself that Jou made it right on time and Keith cursed his luck. "Now, move those feet of yours so we can duel!" Jou demanded and Keith chuckled before doing so.

"Guess we will. But get this kid, once you sit down, I'm showing you the experience of Hell itself! I'll beat you down in it and make sure that you'll be reminded of it everyday!" Keith laughed and Jou gulped slightly. Aqua walked over a placed a hand over his shoulder.

"You'll do fine, Jounouchi. We all put our trust into you winning this duel." he spoke and Jou thanked him for the confidence before he and the rest left to head back up to the second floor to watch. They pulled out the decks and gave a quick shuffle before setting them on the table. When they were both prepared, Croquet gave the signal for the duel to start.

They drew their five card and Keith gave a smirk. I'll go first and let me warn you, I'm fighting with a machine deck and this will be an experience of Hell at its finest! Go, Pendulum Machine!" he called as the large machine monster in resemblance to a pendulum only with a blade appeared on the field.

_'Machine deck...'_ Jou thought and prepared for what's to come. _'I'll beat this guy...I have to...I have to gain that prize money to save my sister's eyes...' _

"My turn!" Jou called as he pulled out his next card. "I play Kung Fu Fighter Ultimator in defense!" The monster appeared on the field in defense and Keith gave a laugh. "That card's is not even worth my time!" he said, drawing his next card. "Now Pendulum Machine, turn that monster into dog food with Splitting Blade Death!" The monster came to life as it reached out, grabbing Ultimator and the bladed pendulum reared back before swinging forward, slicing Jou's monster in two.

Keith ended his turn and Yami smirked slightly. _'You succeeded with that. Now all you have to do is defeat it, Jounouchi. Hopefully you know the secret power of the Pendulum Machine...'_

"Hurry the fuck up, kid! It's your turn!" Keith called out.

"I know that! Keep ya pants on!" he hissed in return as he drew his card and smiled._ 'Good. I got a good one.'_ he thought as he set the monster onto the field. "I play Gilta the Dark Knight and his Soul Spear magic will turn that monster of yours into scrap metal!" Jou said and Yami gasped. _'No! Jounouchi!'_

With 1850 attack, Gilta casted his magic towards Pendulum Machine. The blast hit but after it passed, the machine was still standing. "Hey! What's the big deal here?" Keith laughed again with the same taunting tone.

"My machine deck monster are equipped with the best! All of them wear full metal anti-magic armor! Magic attack won't do shit against them!" he explained, getting another good laugh out from Jou's stupidity. _'Great! This won't turn out well!'_ he though in panic. "My turn again, kid!" Keith drew his card and grinned. "I sent out Land Ironclad TM-1. The Launcher Spider!" he called, sending out the 2200 attack point monster in said position. "Take aim and fire!"

Launcher Spider readied its attack, opening up the hatches on its shoulder and revealing the multitude of missiles ready to launch. They soon shot out, all targeting Giltia and with the resulting explosion, Gilta was destroyed and Jou's life points shot down to 1650. "Can't you see you're no match for me, ya little shit!" Keith reprimanded and Jou cursed. 'He's definitely stronger than I thought! No wonder he's the ex-champion.' he thought.

Yami growled slightly and Yugi comforted him with a hand on his arm. _'So, Keith's deck is made up with heavyweight machine monsters! With that kind of advantage along with their resistance to magic, he would grind his opponents into the ground with sheer power force.' _

/Yami...Jou is gonna win, right...?/ Yugi asked through the mind link. /I'm sure he will, little one. He'll defeat this fool with no problem as long as his struggles doesn't prevent him from making the wrong choice in cards along the way./ Yugi smiled at the reassurance before looking back down to the duel.

"Alright!" Jou murmured as he drew his next card. "I play one card face down and I send out Axe Raider in defense mode!"

_'Man...this duel won't end quick enough if I scare him into defense...'_ Keith thought as he drew his next card. _'Guess I'll trap him with my own card and end it quickly!'_

"I'll play a face down as well and then I play this card in defense!" he said, placing the card onto the field and the deadly devil Zoa in defense. "Well, I'm done here! Take your turn!" Jou shivered as he looked down to Keith's new monster. "Man, that card looks tough..." he whispered but grinned as he drew his card. "But I have the combination to beat it!" Aqua examined the new card on Keith's field. _'A simple dark monster. Nothing special so Jou can defeat it easy...unless...'_ His eyes widened at the revelation._ 'No...! It's a trap!' _

"I play Flame Swordsman in attack mode along with the spell card, Salamandra!" he called as the swordsman appeared on the field, his large fire sword imbued with the magic of the deadly flame serpent. "Now go! Toast that demon with Salamandra!"

"You idiot! You didn't really think I'll leave a monster unattended to be destroyed so easily, do ya!" Keith spoke as he flipped over his trap card, revealing Metalmorph. "Now, Zoa become a machine monster, raising its attack and defense and also giving him the same abilities as every other machine monster in my deck!"

Jou gasped as Salamandra came in contact with Metalzoa's new form along with its new attack of 3000. The attack rebounded and came at Flame Swordsman, destroying it and decreasing Jou's life points down to 1150.

Keith gave a gloating laugh. "You really are a fucking moron and a top notch idiot to boot!"

"Jou!" Myrrh cried in fear. "Don't you dare lose here, bro!" Kaiser called, glaring death at Keith if they lose this opportunity to save their sister.

"And you know what's best! It's still my turn! Now let's rip through those puny defenses of yours!" Keith cackled. "Since you're defending with Axe Raider..." he started as he drew his card. "Let's end that little charade here and now! I play Stop Defense!"

"No!" Axe Raider shifted from defense to attack and Myrrh gasped. "No...if Metalzoa hits with that attack...he'll lose..." she whispered.

"Game over, kid! Metalzoa goes in to strike!"

"Jounouchi!" Nearly everyone on the second floor cried. _'Guess this is the end for this valiant little boy...'_ Pegasus though as he watched and waited for the finishing blow.

But before Metalzoa's claws could pierce Axe Raider, it disappeared from sight. "What the...!" Keith hissed. _'Where'd he go!'_

He soon found out as his monster gave a roar of defeat, pierced by the spikes within the large gap in the field it fell into before fading off the field. Jou grinned with mirth as he showed Keith his trap card. "Nice try, Keith but your hulking tin can fell for my Chasm of Spikes trap card! Now be prepared to lose 1/4 of your monster's attack points!" Keith growled in anger as 750 of his monster's attack came from his life points, decreasing his life points down to 1250.

"Sorry there, Keith. You may be an ex-champion with some skill but I guess you haven't fell as low as you can go just yet! And I'm gonna make sure you hit way past rock bottom!" Jou gloated as they faced off again, one of Keith's strong machines now a thing of the past.

* * *

Zypher: And there's the first half of this duel. I would've continued with the whole entire duel but its way too long compared to Mai and Yami's duel so it's being split into two parts. I'll be getting to work on the next half and I promise you, it won't take as long as it did to get this one out. And before I forget, I want to know if you all still want the little Duel Monster stories at the end still? If ya do, I'll have a nice one prepared for you all after the outcome of this duel in the next chapter. Well, hoped you enjoyed this long awaited chapter and I'll see you all soon with another one. -waves- See ya later!


	17. Second Round of Finals, part 2

Zypher: Hi all! Welcome to Another chapter of Yami no Game and the second half of Jou vs Keith. For all those that were fans of this battle, here's the climatic ending to it for ya! Thanks for all the responses I got for the last chapter so here ya go! Enjoy!

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 17

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_'I can't believe that little punk got me, **Bandit Keith**, with a trap!'_ Keith though As Jou looked across the table at him smugly. "As they always say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall." Jou grinned and Keith growled in anger. "Wow, that was a smart and quick move."

"I agree, Yugi." Yami whispered. _'But his trap only shook him mentally, but if Jou can get a edge with the flow of the game, I'm sure that he'll have no problem winning.'_ he thought.

"Now! It my turn!" he said, drawing a card and revealing Garoozis. He gave a small smirk before placing one card face down and glanced up at Keith. "I'm warning ya now, Keith! This is another trap card waiting to be sprung at ya!"

Keith sneered. "Little shit...think you can mind tricks now!"

"I learn from the best." Jou chuckled before placing Axe Raider in defense and then sending out Garoozis in attack mode. "Now, Garoozis! Attack Pendulum Machine!" he called and the beast-warrior rose to attack, killing the machine with one swipe of his axe. Keith's life points lowered down to 1200 and he growled._ 'I'm gonna kill you for that!' _

"My turn!" Keith called, drawing his card. "Now Launcher Spider! Target Garoozis and destroy it!" The mechanical spider turned towards Garoozis and prepared its launchers before letting another wave of missiles loose at the lower attack monster. The missiles collided with a large explosion and Keith chuckled as the smoke cleared and nothing was left of Garoozis...or so he thought. Jou laughed as he flipped over his trap card. "Told ya I had a trap waiting for ya! I activate Kunai with Chain!" Keith's eyes widened behind the dark glasses he wore. _'Not the Chain Boomerang!'_

Garoozis was in the air as the attack collided where he last stood, throwing the boomerang at Launcher Spider, wrapping around the monster and lowering its attack down by 500, making it weak enough for Garoozis to attack it. "Now! Garoozis Axe Crush!" The monster gave a roar as he shot down, slashing Launcher Spider and it malfunctioned before exploding in a flutter of machine parts. "Another one for the scrap heap!" Jou spoke, Garoozis' attack now shot up to 2300 as Keith's life points lowered down another 100. "Yes!" Myrrh cheered before looking to Aqua.

"Do you think he has a chance now?"

"With the odds already, looks like it will be in his favor." Aqua replied. _'Now he just has to keep up with the attack. One opening and the tide of the battle with turn against him.' _

Pegasus watched intently once more, surprised that Jou was able to slide from Metalzoa's attack with a well placed trap. _'Hmm, now what could be making up for the difference in their experience...'_ he thought before activating his Sennen Item to examine both their minds._ 'Ah, Keith is still the same as I left him, despair and revenge. But the boy...hope...and trust! ' _He gave a hidden chuckle. _'Well, this is a fine battle between light and darkness! Let's see which one will prevail.' _

Keith's eyes narrowed beneath his dark glasses before chuckling. Jou growled. "And what are you laughing about?" Jou demanded. "Kid...have you ever risked your life before? To be more frank, have you ever seen hell?" he questioned, putting his hand up like a gun. "Bang!" he said before chuckling some more. "You just don't care who you have to kill, just saving your own skin. That's what hell is! This little tournament is the same thing!" With a grin like a knife's edge, Keith continued to speak.

"And there's only one way to get out of my hell...and that right through Pegasus himself! And I'll do anything to get there!"

Jou gave a chuckle of his own. "Well, you may want to escape your hell but I'm adamant about keeping you in it! Get ready, Keith cause this battle's not over!"

"Well let's just see about that! My turn!" He drew a card before taking a card from his hand. "I play one card face down on the field..." He took out another card. "And I attack with this!" He placed the card on the field and the new mechanized monster gave a roar. "Meet Barrel Dragon!" Keith cackled with glee.

"Now here's the fun part! I get the chance to gamble while this power packing monster's out on the field. As you can see, Barrel Dragon has three revolvers, one for its head and both shoulders. Each is loaded with three bullets each so that give me a 50-50 chance of success." Jou gulped silently as he looked down to the menacing monster.

"And to make it more fun for me, with each attack, the cylinders spin!"

_'Crud...this is like Russian Roulette...'_ Jou thought.

"Now, let's see if Lady Luck's on my side! Barrel Dragon! Attack mode!" The mechanical dragon gave a roar as the barrels pointed at Jou's field. The cylinders started to spin and Jou waited with bated breath of the results. From above, the group watched as well, hoping that it won't be in Keith's favor. "And let me give ya a little tip, punk. If all three roulettes go my way, I get to kill three monsters at once!" The barrels started to slow down before they came to a stop with a click.

The right shoulder and head cannon were hits while the left shoulder was a miss. "Good enough! Two out of three! Gun Cannon Shot!" Keith called and the shots were made, demolishing Garoozis and Axe Raider.

With those shots alone, it took out a big chunk of Jou's life points, lowering him down to 850. "And the best thing, each one has 2600 attack points and they will reload on my next turn!"

Yami gave a snarl in anger. _'Such a dreadful card...able to destroy three monsters at once...Jou may not be able to stand up to that thing unless he draws the right card...'_

Jou was afraid for a moment but not for long. _'So...that's how you want to play it...then so be it...'_ he thought as he drew his next card. "Now let's have some fun! I play Time Wizard!" he called, sending out the clockwork monster onto the field._ 'Shit...not Time Wizard...'_ Keith thought. "A gamble for a gamble I say! I'm going to blow away your monster to the end of time!" Jou said. "And I don't end it there! I play Baby Dragon to go along with him!" The small dragon came onto the field with a croon.

"Now, Time Roulette!"

But of course, Keith wasn't worried one bit. He may have to worry about the effect on Time Wizard on his machine but he had the perfect face down card to eliminate the damaging effect. "It has to be a win. It just has too..." Myrrh murmured softly. Yami and Aqua continued to watch, waiting for the result of Jou's gamble for they knew that this wasn't just a small gamble but a gamble that meant the survival or fail of the duel for him. The needle started coming to a stop and Jou waited with a halt in everything, including his own heartbeat.

The needle ticked a few times and landed on the Win marker without fail. "Sweet! I did it!" he cried as Time Wizard's effect took place, making Baby Dragon grow into Thousand Dragon and Barrel Dragon becoming nothing but a huge rust bucket of it former glory, its attack decreasing down to 1800. "Awright! Now go, Thousand Dragon! Thousand Nose Breath!" The dragon gave a snort before releasing a torrent of flames at the machine monster, defeating it with ease but Keith only laughed.

"Don't think its over yet, kid! I play a trap card!"

_'No!'_

"Time Machine!" In a wisp of smoke, the giant machine appeared on Keith's side of the field. "Now, let me explain what's going to happen. Playing this card give me quite the interesting little advantage." The door opened with a hiss and a roar emerged from it as Barrel Dragon stepped out, good as new. "No way? Barrel Dragon returned!" Jou exclaimed and he wasn't the only one surprised. "How did this happen?" Yugi questioned in horror.

"Russian Roulette!" The cylinders took a spin before stopping. "And Gun Cannon Shot!" All three barrels shot out their bullets, all aiming for Thousand Dragon and Time Wizard, destroying them both with ease. "No way a fucking fantasy dragon can defeat one completely made of gun power!" Keith chortled. "And to answer your clear as day question, when a monster of mine gets destroyed, Time Machine can bring back that same monster from a turn ago. And to make it easier for your to comprehend, that worn out Barrel Dragon was only a decoy to bring back the original from the past and kick your dragon's old ass!"

_'And the worse thing was that it wasn't weaken before I used Time Roulette so it will be harder to defeat as it was from the start.'_ Jou thought.

"And let me tell ya this, kid, you're nothing but an amateur. Don't think that your little duel with Kozuka went unnoticed by me. Your deck is nothing but a pile of shit with no strategy! It's no match for my ultimate machine monster deck!"

Jou groaned softly as it became his turn and he drew his card before playing Kojikocy in defense. With Keith's turn, Barrel Dragon easily blasted through Kojikocy's defense like paper. "And I'm not done yet! I'm playing another monster to add to my destructive force!" Keith played the card on the field. "Meet Slot Machine!" he introduced as the giant, slot machine-like monster appeared on the field. Keith chuckled to himself. "Well, well. Looks like the punk is speechless. Why don't you do me a big favor and surrender. You can't survive against these power packed machines!"

But Keith got a nasty thought in mind and grinned. "Or better yet, I like seeing you squirm so don't surrender! I'll kill you good when I'm ready to!" He cackled as Jou placed Tiger Axe in defense but it was easily destroyed by another of Barrel Dragon's attacks. At this point, the duel was naught but one sided with Jou placing defense monsters and Keith blowing them away with Barrel Dragon. "And let's add another machine to my army!" he said as he placed Space Megatron down in defense. Jou didn't give no emotion to show he has given up. He had a plan.

He took a small breath as he drew his next card, putting all his hope into it and when he looked at it, he gave a faint smile. "I play one card face down and then I summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode! Now destroy that puny piece of scrap metal!"

With a roar, Red Eyes unleashed an Inferno fire Blast at Space Megatron, destroying it easily. Keith chuckled, not caring that his monster was destroyed. "So at long last, your strongest monster is out on the field. It may be strong but its no match for a few 40-ought slugs from my Barrel Dragon! Now let's end it with a clear shot!" Keith called as Barrel Dragon gave a roar, stomping forward. "Kill that Red Eyes!" With the same process, Barrel Dragon readied its shot before petting loose the one from its head cannon, the blast streaming towards Red Eyes.

"But Jou gave a grin. "Just what I was waiting for!" he cheered as he flipped over his face down. Keith gaped when he saw what it was. _'No way? It can't be!'_

"Read it and weep! I activate Copycat and copy one of your cards and I choose Metalmorph!" The card changed to become the chard chosen and with a roar, Red Eyes started to transform into a new and improved metal monster. "Meet Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon!" Jou's new card gave a screeching roar as Barrel Dragon's attack bounced off of it harmlessly with its newfound 2800 attack. "This is wonderful! He got himself out of another jam!" Myrrh cheered.

"And on my turn, we'll give you a taste of his new attack. Go, Red Eyes! Dark Mega Flare!"

Red Eyes gave another roar, jumping into the air before unleashing a mighty flame down at Barrel Dragon, causing it to explode in a myriad of scrap parts before it faded from the field. Jou's eyes narrowed as he looked to Keith who was taking a big hit from the lost of his ultimate monster. "Keith...you're nothing but a devil...so I'll make it my duty to send ya back to hell!"

Keith growled as his life points decreased down to 900. _'Fucking kid! Copying my Metalmorph to power up that puny dragon!'_ he thought in anger but smirked._ 'But I don't need to worry...I still have a winning strategy that will blow away that metal menace for good and give me the win. We'll see who will be sent to hell first!'_ Keith took his turn, drawing his card.

"I'll play one card face down and put Slot Machine into defense." he spoke before ending his turn. _'Such an amateur move. And he claims he's the best when he's cowering under the power of my Red Eyes...I'll kill that machine in one blow.'_ Jou thought as he drew his card. "I'll play one card face down too and I'll attack Slot Machine! Dark Mega Flare!"

Red Eyes unleashed the attack which hit head on and Jou watched, hoping that Slot Machine is done for. But a chuckle from Keith made him worry slightly. "Not quite, brat! I use my face down card, 7 Completed!" he said. "And this little card is an interchangeable card that I'm using to increase my Slot Machine's defense!" The Slot machine defense rose up to 3000, causing Red Eyes' attack to be neutralized and Jou taking the difference in damage to his life points, now at 450. Yami snarled angrily as he continued to watch, wishing he could rip that sly smirk from Keith's face.

_'Only he would still try and keep himself in the duel anyway he could.'_ he thought with a hiss.

Keith chortled to himself. _'Lucky for me, Slot Machine, like any ol' slot machine in Vegas, has three slots. And with 7 Completed, it can be equipped with three of them, powering up either attack or defense by 700, giving it a whopping 2100 points.'_ Keith glanced over to Jou who still had a determined gleam in his eyes. _'Well, you little shit...didn't I say something about our difference in skill...we'll let me show you that right now...'_ He raised up his right arm, cleverly slipping out one of the 7 Completed card he had hiding in his wristband.

_'It may be cheating but I don't give a damn! As long as I win this, nothing matters...not even rule regulations!'_

"And looky here! I got another 7 Completed in my hand! This time, increasing Slot Machine's attack power!" Another 7 appeared in one of the slots, increasing the monster's attack from 2000 to 2700. "And I'm not done just yet! I play another card! Blast Sphere!" The sphere monster appeared on the field, lunging towards Red Eyes and clamping onto it.

"What the heck is that thing?" Jou demanded. "That, my dear amateur, is a bomb! Set to explode in one turn so if you don't do something, your dragon's history!" Jou growled before reaching for another card. _'Everything's riding on this card!'_ he thought.

Keith cackled as he gave Jou a thumb's down. "Time's up, punk!"

The Blast Sphere activated, exploding when prompted and Keith waited for the smoke to clear but gaped after it was gone. Red Eyes was still on the field, now with 3400 attack and sporting a new set of claws. "Luckily for me, I got just what I needed! That was a little too close for my liking!" Jou gloated as he held up the Dragon Nails equip card.

_'Fuck! Now his dragon has 3400 attack and the bomb recoiled against me!'_ he thought in anger as his life points his 400. With another sly movement, he drew his other 7 Completed from under his left wristband. "Guess what? Another 7 Completed came into my hand! And I'll increase Slot Machine's attack again!"

Slot Machine's attack raised up to 3400, leaving both monster with equal attack and will end at a stalemate if one attack the other. Jou hissed in disdain, looking over his hand. _'All I have left are these four cards and the face down I have on the board. I have to end it on this turn.'_ he thought. Keith chuckled softly. "You better not still be thinking you can beat me..." he whispered. "Cause if you are, let me open your eyes with this card! Pillager!"

_'Pillager! What does that do!'_

"Since you must be thinking about it with the puny mind of yours, let me tell ya what it does! Pillager lets me look at your hand and pillage one card of my choosing from it! Now show me your fucking hand!" Keith ordered and Jou gave another sound of discomfort as he showed his hand to Keith. He gazed over the cards quickly before smirking. "Too bad for you! Seems like you just want me to end this off quickly for ya! I'll be taking that Shield and Sword card from ya!" he said, reaching over to snatch the card from Jou's hand.

"Now it's over for ya, kid! You should've known from the start that you wouldn't have survived!" Keith cackled. "Now, I play Shield and Sword! Attack/Defense Reverse!" The attack and defense flipped, leaving Slot Machine with 3000 attack and Red Eyes with 2400. "Now attack! Slot Machine Plasma Laser Cannon!"

"W-wait! I play this face down card!"

"It doesn't matter, you little fucker! _Die_!"

Slot machine powered up its attack before unleashing it on Red Eyes. "No! Jounouchi!" Aqua cried from the second floor, teeth clenched in anger that Keith may have won the duel. "No...please tell me he didn't lose against him..." Yugi whimpered softly and he held onto Yami's arm tightly. "He couldn't have, I know he didn't lose yet." Yami whispered. The attack hit, causing Red Eyes to be demolished and Keith laughed with glee. "There! Your dragon's dead and gone and I win!" he said, still laughing. But it slowed as he saw what was standing in the smoke, holding a very familiar card.

_'Eh...?'_ His eyes widened behind the glasses he wore. _'What! The Graverobber! He stole my Time Machine from my graveyard...!'_

Jou laughed quietly. "I'm not too big on stealing but..." The large machine appeared on Jou's side of the field. _'No...**NO**! H-He went back in time to his last turn...meaning...'_ Keith thought, now sweating profusely with the result that was sure to appear from this last second save.

"By the way you're sweating, you know what's about to happen. My dragon's attack and defense weren't reversed last turn so..." The door opened with a hiss and a growl was heard as Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon came out from the machine. "I'm bringing her back at full strength!"

Keith gaped, wishing there was something he could do but he exhausted everything he had just to prevent Jou from getting as far as he did. "Now! Dark Mega Flare!" Red Eye roared as she prepared the attack. "Destroy Slot Machine and end this duel!" With a screeching roar, she unleashed the attack upon Slot Machine, destroying it and perfectly finished off the last of Keith's life points.

"NOOOOOO!" Keith screeched.

"Yes! He did it!" Yugi, Kaiser and Myrrh cheered happily and the three supernaturals of their group smiled. Keara looked down to Red Eyes. _'You did wonderfully, my friend. You have done your master a good justice in proving himself greatly.'_ she thought and Red Eyes gave another roar in victory as Jou bolted up from his seat, his hand of cards fluttering down to the table as he gave a loud whoop of joy that he won against Keith despite all the ridicule he faced from the other duelist.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it! The end to a perfect duel and for those that did notice it, decided to change the gender of Red Eyes since I find Red Eyes being a female more suiting for her. And now, as you have all asked for, here's a duel Monster story for you. Enjoy.

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's Deck-

The monsters were cheering as well that after so much struggling, their master was able to win against the top notch duelist and gain another friend among them. Akai's metallic counterpart stood beside her, smiling down to the other that came to praise her for the victory. /"It was nothing, really. I'm glad to have helped him when he needed me the most."/ Gula spoke. /"But if it wasn't for you, we probably would've lost!"/ Laito chirped. /"The little one is right. We are grateful for your appearance."/ Meneg spoke.

Gula smiled once more and thanked them all once more. "This call for a celebration! That lousy Keith was a pain in the arse so I say we celebrate for taking down that mechanized fool of a duelist!" Fier announced and all the other warriors shouted their agreement. It didn't take long for them to prepare the sparring field and the warriors that knew a thing or two about cooking prepared the food and everything was underway. Warriors were eating and some were mock sparring. Those that were in the duel told them about what happened before they were sent to the graveyard and other started up simple conversations.

"I tell you, that Barrel Dragon was a hassle. Taking out three monsters at once! Pah! No wonder the guy was such an ass!" Garoozis muttered as he took another bite form the slab of meat he was eating. "Gloating about the thing way too much for his own good."

"But it was a pretty powerful deck but of course, too much power will have a flaw somewhere. Especially with being nothing but machines except for that one single card. Zoa was it?" Ohtar questioned and Garoozis nodded. "But even so, he still had something to turn that thing into a mechanized pain." Then Garoozis gave a grin. "But of course, that backfired on him big time with Gula's appearance!"

They all nodded in agreement and continued to eat with merriment. With the dragons, Laito was speaking animatedly to Gula and Akai only chuckled. /"Laito, calm yourself."/ Meneg spoke and Laito pouted before descending to the ground. Meneg nodded before looking up to the metal dragon.

/"But we are grateful that you have come. Hopefully Jounouchi-sama will remember this victory for days to come ad the help that you and Akai provided in the path toward that victory."/

/"Again, no need to thank me. If it wasn't for the capabilities and luck that Akai here could be transformed by Metalmorph, I wouldn't be here right now."/ Gula spoke. Akai nodded. /"And I'm glad for it. That would've been a big blow if I wasn't able to be transformed by Metalmorph and get that raise in power to defeat that lowdown Barrel Dragon."/

Laito nodded and flapped his wings eagerly. /"But you did! And we have a new friend too! Everything is going to be A-ok now that Jou made it past this round and one step closer to helping his sister."/

Meneg nodded. /"And for that, I say we all give a roar to Jounouchi-sama for his triumph over the only obstacle in his way."/ They nodded and with a chorus of roar, the dragons praised their master for his victory over Keith.

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Zypher: Yeah, another short one but it was eventful enough. Hoped you enjoyed this little Duel Monster story and I shall see you all in the next chapter! -waves- See ya later and keep reading!

Translation: Gula - Gray (only reason I chose this because the elven term for metal didn't sound all that good to me)


	18. Duel of Kings, part 1

Zypher: Hello all and welcome to another long awaited chapter to Yami no Game: Dark Saga. Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so let's be on with the final match! Enjoy!

(Note: Before you ask, yes there is supposed to be a battle between Jou and Yami before the finals but in the manga, they skipped it so its goes straight to the battle with Pegasus)

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Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 18

* * *

"And the winner is Katsuya Jounouchi!" Croquet spoke. Keith boiled in his misery at loosing to such a weakling duelist while Jou reveled in his victory, glad to have kept his promise of beating the other duelist for the trouble he caused before. Kaiser smiled as he looked down to his brother. _'You did it, bro...now we can finally help Shizuka...'_ he thought. Yugi ran down with Myrrh, giving a leaping hug to the other teen as he moved away from his seat.

"Jou-kun! We're so happy that you won!" Yugi cheered and Jou grinned down to him. "I have you all to thank for it. You all supported me to the bitter end as I went through this duel." he spoke. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, my friend." Yami said, landing down beside him before hiding his wings. "You had the courage of a duelist and that's what made you victorious today."

"Yeah. You won this battle all on your own. You should be proud to not worry about having help from anyone now." Yugi said, hugging the other once more. Jou smiled, pulling back from Yugi and then pulled out the card Mai gave to him when he was in a panic about his missing card from earlier. _'Thanks, Mai...I really owe you one.'_ he thought before looking down to Yami. "Now I have a question. If we both won our duels, wouldn't that mean we'll have to fight one another?"

"Not necessarily. The objective here was to get to the final round to defeat Pegasus. That is within sight now but if we found, that would only reveal more tactics that I dare want to show with him watching. So from this point on, leave the rest to me." Jou nodded.

"Alright. Besides, I knew that you can be the only person to defeat him. I wouldn't even stay up for a round against him if I challenged him. But still..." Yami saw Jou's shoulders shake with the raging emotions he was feeling. "Can I really weigh you down with my problems! You're alright fighting for yourself and for Yugi's grandpa! Do you really want to fight for me, Yami!" Jou cried and looked up when Yami lifted his head with his hand. Yami gave a smile to him.

"Of course, Jounouchi. Your problem is just as important as my objective. I'm here to save lives and that objective is something that would never weigh me down. I'll win because I'm fighting for you just like you fought for your sister."

Jou smiled and gave Yami a hug. "Thanks, man. Now I owe you something."

"You owe me nothing but your friendship, Jounouchi."

Jou nodded before handing Yami The Honor of the King's Right card and he nodded, turning to face Pegasus and raised the card up as the ante for their duel. _'It's time for our final bout, Pegasus.'_ Pegasus' eyes narrowed before standing from his seat. "Prepare my duel stage." he spoke to one of his cronies that stood behind him. Both were shocked to hear this and one spoke up about it.

"But Mr. Pegasus, Jounouchi and Yami haven't fought! The championship said..."

"There's no need for them to fight. A duel between them would be pointless." he responded. _'I can see it. Their strong bond of trust connects their hearts. The innocent to a demon...and now that Yami has taken on his friend's wishes, his spirit will grow stronger...'_

"It's strange...but at this moment, I feel like I'm facing Yami's dueling spirit already..." Pegasus spoke. _'...as the king of Duelist Kingdom but we'll just see if he can ascend to that position.'_

"Very well. Let the final battle of Duelist Kingdom begin." Pegasus announced.

Yami gave a nod as Pegasus started making his way down to the dueling field. _'The moment has finally come. I will rescue Yugi's grandfather and the Kaiba brothers form you, Pegasus.'_ Yami thought. Pegasus smirked as he walked down. _'My heart is trembling with the thought of this duel. How long has it been since I've enjoyed a good duel and let my senses as a duelist awaken?'_ he thought as he continued on his way down. Waiting in the silence of the hall, Keith walked, grumbling about his defeat still but wouldn't let that hinder his goal.

_'Just you wait, bastard...we'll see who laughs last!'_ Keith thought, smirking with his evil intention. When Pegasus got to the main floor, he was encountered by the other male. Keith gave a chuckle as he looked to Pegasus.

"We finally meet face to face, Pegasus..."

"Bandit Keith!" One of the guards shouted, ready to protect Pegasus when said person held a hand up. "No need for weapons."

"I'll say this only once...gimme that prize money now, horse boy!" Keith growled. "Well, well. To see the old "prize king" like this...its no sight to see you lose to a boy like Jounouchi so easily..."

"Shut the hell up!" Keith roared, stepping forward. "Gimme the prize before you get that pretty face of yours beaten to a pulp!" Pegasus chuckled, nodding. "Yes, yes. Whatever you want, Keith. I'm just oh so happy we had this chat but according to rules and regulations of Duelist Kingdom, hand written by yours truly, you must be punished." he spoke, taking a glance up to Keith. "Don't think that I didn't see what you did in the duel, Mr. Howard. Did you really think you could cheat under my watchful eyes? To transfer cards from your wristbands to your hand."

Keith chortled. "So what? I don't give a damn about that match! It's legal according to my rules!"

"Well, well. Seems like you have already lost your duelist's mind after what happened back in America." Pegasus whispered, the very air around him seeming to swirl and pulsate with power. The very power that Keith remembered feeling when he encountered Yami the night before the final round. "Ready, Mr. Howard?"

"Wha..."

Pegasus smirked as he raised a hand. "Penalty Game! Learn the price of your foolishness, Bandit Keith!" With a scream, Keith was engulfed in the power of the shadows, wondering what was going to happen to him when he felt his right hand start to move on its own accord. He looked down to it, shocked as he watched it twitch and bloat until the barrel of a gun grew from his hand.

Keith struggled but his hand continued to move on its own, pointing to his head as a replica of a gun being held there. He heard a faint click of the hammer that acted as his thumb and with a loud shot, Keith was down and Pegasus moved on, the guard looking from Pegasus and down to Keith, wondering if the other male was actually dead.

* * *

As they waited, Yami was shuffling through his deck, looking at each card and feeling the fighting soul that each monster had for the final battle. "Looks like everything's in order." he murmured, putting his faith into his deck. Yugi watched Yami before taking out the small player and turned it on, Sugoroku appearing onto the screen. "Well, Yami is ready to fight Pegasus now. Hopefully he'll win so we can return you back to your own body." Yugi spoke.

"I'm sure he will, Yugi. You all should know that Pegasus is quite the strong adversary. Probably the strongest Yami will face so far. Listen well, when its look as if all hope is lost, you must look within yourself. When faced with a challenge you believe you can't pass, let the path of defeat be your guide for you might just find a way to avoid the end."

Yugi nodded before looking over to Yami who gave a nod, confirming that he heard what the aged man had told Yugi. "Yugi!" A voice called and they looked to see Honda and Ryou walking over to them. "Honda! Ryou! Where have you two been?" Myrrh questioned.

"We spent all night looking for Mokuba. He's in one of the rooms now but Kaiba is locked up in a different tower so we couldn't rescue him." Honda explained, looking over to Ruby who looked relieved to know Mokuba was safe but disappointed that they couldn't find Seto as well. He then turned back to Yami. "Yami...Mokuba's soul was sucked right out of him...only you can save them both now..."

/Yami...I remembered what you told me at Death-T...my brother will come back soon, won't he?"

"Yes...someday, he'll return..."/

_'And I won't break that promise to you, Mokuba...you both will be reunited.'_

"Make sure that Pegasus goes down, Yami." Ryou spoke and Honda looked to him. _'Hmmm...Ryou's been acting strange ever since last night. I know that I can't be the only one to notice this. Could that evil demon within him be up to something?'_ he thought before looking away and back to Yami. "Yami, I know you can do it! Win this and free everyone from Pegasus' grasp!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

"It's time!" Croquet called. "Will Yami please step forward and take a seat at the duel stage!"

"Good luck, Yami!"

"Win this one for us, Yami!"

Yami nodded, giving a smile to them all as he started for the duel stage, taking his seat and the duel stage rose up form the first to the second floor, the double doors opening and Yami growled as he saw Pegasus enter the room. _'The last duel of Duelist Kingdom and only one of us will walk away as the winner.' _Yami thought, grabbing his deck from his pocket and set it on the table, eyes never leaving Pegasus.

"Ah, Yami-boy...my prodigal duelist...I commend you greatly for having reached this far in the tournament and earning this right to face me as your final battle." Pegasus spoke.

"Indeed but I only have one request before we fight. Promise me that if I win, you'll free Sugoroku's soul from the video you sealed him in."

"It's a done deal..."

"I'm not done. You are to release the Kaiba brothers' souls from the cards as well!" Yami hissed. "Isn't that odd...isn't Kaiba-boy your enemy? And yet, you want to save him?"

"Right now, Pegasus, you're my only enemy." Yami spoke. _'I have to keep the promise I made to Mokuba. One way or another, I'll make sure that he is reunited with Kaiba.'_ Pegasus smirked as he caught a glimpse of the thought. "So, it's a promise that you want to keep to save them." Pegasus spoke, chuckling softly and Yami growled at the fact that Pegasus invaded his mind to find that out. "Alright then. I promise to release them from the prison of lost souls only if you're capable and skilled enough to beat me." Pegasus said, moving to sit in the other seat at the table.

"Do you really think that Yami will be able to overcome the power of the Sennen Eye?" Diamond questioned.

"Nonsense! Yami's not going to lose after all the struggling he went through just to get this far! Now come on! Let's get back to the second floor so we can watch Yami's whip Pegasus' prissy tail!" Jou exclaimed and the few that were down there nodded as they started for the door that would take them to the set of stairs leading up to the second floor. With Yami and Pegasus, the both sat passively on each side of the table and Croquet announced about Yami having the two cards to qualify. Yami held them up, looking to Croquet who gave a nod, taking them from him.

"In the event that Yami is to defeat the Duelist King, you will be given the cash prize for the Honor of the King's Right. Is that clear, Mr. Pegasus?"

"Of course." He answered before looking directly into Yami's eyes. "And as I'm sure you noticed, the Honor of the King's Left has no picture. Do you know why, Yami-boy?"

"I do. A picture will emerge when I lose to you. In simpler terms, I'm anteing up my soul and if I lose, it will be claimed by you."

"Very clever! Your courage still amazes me, Yami-boy! Knowing what awaits you if you lose and yet you still have a will to fight me." Pegasus spoke. On the side of the field, Yugi gasped, falling back into Aqua's arms. "No...I don't want him to risk his life. Aqua, we can't let him go on with this." Yugi whimpered.

"Yugi, he's doing this for everyone that's suffering. For you and Sugoroku, for Jounouchi to get the prize money and for the Kaiba brothers who lost their lives to this fiend. Even if we tried, we couldn't stop him so all we can do is hope and pray for the outcome to be in his favor." Yugi looked to Aqua and nodded, looking back to the duel stage and poured his heart into the thought of Yami winning against Pegasus.

Yami knew that he was risking a heavy bargain but he wasn't planning to become another addition to Pegasus' card collection. One way or another, he was going to win against him and elude the powers of the Sennen Eye. Pegasus saw the complete defiance in Yami's eyes about becoming a soul card but that thought he wasn't focused on much right now. _'At the moment, my first and foremost goal is to gain control of Kaiba Corp and that will need the help of the Big 5. Without them, I can't overthrow Ruby easily for control.'_

Above from their seat, each of the Big 5 watched. "We put our faith into you, Mr. Pegasus. Win against Yami and the chairman position of Kaiba Corp will be in your possession and Ruby won't be able to ruin you in any way." One spoke before getting comfortable to watch the duel. Croquet sent a quick glance over to Pegasus.

_'Sir...about the key that Mokuba swallowed. We did a scan and got a 3-D replication of the key. A copy will be made soon.'_ Croquet thought, knowing that Pegasus was waiting for good news and Pegasus gave a discreet nod. _'Good, all the pieces are in place. All that's left now is to win this duel.'_

"The Duelist Kingdom Championship match will begin now!" Croquet announced before looking to the two combatants. "Now, cut and shuffle your opponent's deck." The players slid their deck across the table, taking hold of the others and started shuffling before passing them back. They both glance at one another, a wicked smile on Pegasus' face and an angry sneer on Yami's before Croquet called off the start of the duel. _'You won't be able to beat me easily, Yami-boy. As long as I have the power of the Sennen Eye.' _Pegasus thought, drawing his five cards.

_'We'll just see about that.'_

"Duel!"

They drew their hands and Yami was the first to start the duel. "I'll set one card face down then I'll play this in defense." he spoke, sending out Beaver Warrior into defense mode. Now, all Yami had to do was wait and see what Pegasus had planned and whether Pegasus will start using his Sennen Eye so early into the game. "Then I guess its my turn now." Yami gave a nod to his inquiry and Pegasus drew his next card. "I'll also play one face down card and send out Red Archery Girl in defense."

The mermaid monster appeared onto the field and Yami contemplated his options. He knew the monster was a water attribute with a great weakness to thunder attacks, giving him the advantage already without thinking that Pegasus has something planned to break the combo he was about to make. "Alright! My turn!" He drew his next card and then sent a glare to Pegasus. "I switch Beaver Warrior into attack mode and then I equip him with Horn of the Unicorn!"

_'Just like I've seen, Yami-boy. You shouldn't even think about underestimating my abilities so early into the game.'_

"Now, Beaver Warrior! Attack that archer!"

The monster gave a cry before charging in to attack, blade coursing with the electric power given to him by the equip magic card. "So soon, you make a mistake, young demon. I activate my trap card. Mermaid's Tear!" Yami gave a hiss as he saw his monster be trapped inside of a bubble. "And what makes it worse is that just as you thought, a water monster is highly weak by electricity and the same goes for any monster doused in it." Beaver Warrior gave a screech as he was electrified by his own equip magic, his newly risen attack of 1900 dropping back down to 1200.

"Now, finish him off."

The mermaid archer was switched into attack mode and she aimed for the monster trapped in the bubble, drawing the string of the bow back. "Arrow Shot!" At the call of her attack, she released the arrow, piercing right through the weak monster and causing Yami to lose 200 points, his remaining life now at 1800. _'Guess he is planning to use the Eye early.'_ Yami thought, growling to himself. _'Now how am I going to bypass this little obstacle?'_

"Oh no! Pegasus is reading his mind now! Yami won't be able to stand up to that!" Yugi cried and Aqua wrapped his arms around him, trying to soothe the younger as he sent a glare down to Pegasus.

"Well, my friend. Looks like you wasted a turn. There are many variables to this game...which cards to attack...which combos will be successful...and for every duelist, there a path to victory lined with perfect attacks and a path to defeat with is filled with constant little mistakes are you have made already, Yami-boy." Yami gave a snort, growling more.

"And let me tell you one little thing. I never make mistakes. Never." Yami's eyes narrowed as he took his turn, not liking how Pegasus puts so much into his own self confidence. _'He is a challenge thanks to his item but if I have to go down, I'm going down with a fight.'_ he thought as he placed Giant Soldier of Stone into defense.

"It didn't take him long to go on the offensive. if Pegasus gets too far, Yami might not be able to make it out." Diamond murmured and Yugi frowned as he continued to watch the duel, hands placed over Aqua's to get as much reassurance as he could from the other demon. "I think Yami won't be able to make it period. He's a good duelist, I know, but Pegasus is the creator of them game. He knows every card by heart and could think of any combo that someone could make. And with the Sennen Eye just gives him more of an advantage to counter."

"Ryou, what are you saying?" Diamond cried, looking over to him. "Why don't you put more faith into Yami? He sacrificing a lot just to help the people he's trying to save from Pegasus. Who cares if he's the master and creator of the card game, no one is perfect." Ryou frowned, looking away and feeling bad that he made her angry but looked up when Keara laid a hand on his shoulder.

"She's right, Ryou. Pegasus may have the Eye at his disposal but he has a flaw that even he doesn't know of. It's up to Yami to figure it out for him to gain an advantage over him and we have to continue to support him through this." Ryou nodded as he turned back to watch the duel continue on.

"Looks like it's my turn again." Pegasus spoke as he drew another card. "First, I play a face down card and then I play Ryu-Ran, the dragon's egg in defense." The huge, partially cracked egg appeared onto the field, snarling being heard from the monster hiding within. "And I'll place Red Archery Girl into defense as well, thus ending my turn." Yami gave a short nod as he drew his next card, unaware of what Pegasus was planning now. _'Now, let's see what you have planned for me. Mind Scan.'_ The Sennen eye glowed underneath the curtain of hair that kept it from sight and a picture of each card appeared in his mind's eye.

Once the next card Yami had drawn into his hand was seen by him, it appeared to Pegasus as well. _'Ah, so you have Summoned Skull in your hand now...'_ he thought and Yami gave a gasp, sending a glance to Pegasus. _'Shit...he must know my cards now...I felt it, like a pinprick but he was there nonetheless, reading my mind...'_ He gave a snarl, feeling as if now, he won't be able to do much to stop him.

_'Too bad, Yami-boy...that I've already predicted your tactics...you're going to play Spellbinding Circle face down and them Summoned Skull in defense, tempting me attack and expect me to fall for your trap so you can take out my Ryu-Ran...'_ As Pegasus predicted, Yami did just that, the demon monster giving a cat-like growl, arms crossed over its chest for defense.

"I'm done."

"Good." Pegasus drew his card, a trap already lying in wait to counter Yami's and planned to put his plan into full swing. "I'll set Ryu-Ran into attack mode!" The egg rattled before the dragon within emerged, giving a roar. "Now, attack the Summoned Skull with Dragon Flame!" The dragon gave a roar before unleashing a fireball at the defending monster. "Activating trap card! Spellbinding Circle!" Yami called, flipping the card face up and the binding pentagram of magic appeared around Ryu-Ran, halting his attack and sealing him in place.

"Oh, whatever should I do?" Pegasus cried with fake worry as his monster lost 700 attack, dropping it down to 1500 and just enough for Summoned Skull to destroy it. Yami was glad that his plan worked but now had a dreading feeling that the activation of his tactic was too easy. _'But we'll see if Pegasus does have something to counter it. I pray to Ra that he doesn't.'_ Yami thought before sending Summoned Skull into attack mode. "Alright, Summoned Skull, your target is Ryu-Ran! Attack with Demon Lightning!"

The demon gave a screech, gathering lightning before sending the attack towards the dragon. "Trap card activated! Trap Displacement!"

"What?"

"With this handy card, I can transfer your Spellbinding Circle from my monster to yours. So say goodbye to your little demon friend!" The binding spell was removed from Ryu-Ran, reappearing around Summoned Skull and it gave a hiss, the lightning attack it was sending at the other disintegrating before it could make contact. Pegasus gave a hearty laugh before his gaze landed on Yami's. "All your tactics are useless against me, Yami. Learn that now and you won't suffer such a humiliating defeat." he whispered and Yami clenched his teeth from lashing back out at the game creator.

"Ryu-Ran, finish the demon off with your Dragon Flame!" Ryu-Ran roared, unleashing another wave of fire at Summoned Skull and the demon screeched, fading from the field as the attack connected, its holder suffering the damage as Yami's life now dropped to 1400. "Damn it...Pegasus learned what Yami had ahead of time." Aqua growled. "Damn Pegasus...that's not fair!" Jou shouted, gritting his teeth in anger. "There's no way how Yami can stand up to Pegasus' power..." Ryou whispered.

"Ryou, don't start that again! We can't give up on him!"

"Yeah! He'll find a way to win! He'll never give up!"

Pegasus gave a chuckle as he gazed over at Yami. "My turn already...? So soon? You must be slipping in tactics, Yami-boy. I was hoping for a good, long duel." Pegasus spoke as he drew his next card. Yami gave a hiss, surprised at just what power the Sennen Eye held. _'But I know there is a way to beat his mind scan. I just have to think of a way before he can study my moves again.'_

"Nope! There's no way to beat it!" Pegasus spoke out and Yami's eyes narrowed. "A game is a contest between two minds and just like a real world battlefield-if you can examine the opponent territory, their mind, you win without fail. But you, Yami-boy, you have nothing that could help you set foot into my territory." He gave a smirk as he took one card from his hand. "And I'll show you that right now. My next card is..." The card was set and Yami reeled back in horror.

"Toon World!"

The large book appeared on the field and let out a soft smog that engulfed his monsters, soon turning them into toon monsters. The newly toon version of Ryu-Ran chuckled to himself and Yami gave a snort. _'Wonderful...not only do I have to deal with the sight of toon monsters...the only way to possibly beat them is with another toon...'_

"Attack, Toon Dragon! Egg...or should I say Manga Ryu-Ran!" The dragon chuckled again before sending out his attack at Giant Stone Soldier, demolishing the defensive monster. With his attack done, the toon monster disappeared back into the book and closed, sealing the monster within its impenetrable pages. "As you see, Yami-boy, once my toons are done, they hide back in Toon World, a world in which your monsters can't reach. That makes it the perfect defense." Pegasus said, smirking. _'Shit...this is the very strategy that killed Kaiba...'_

"Now, I place Toon Mermaid into attack and end my turn." Pegasus announced, the toon monster lounging in her shell at rest but prepared to attack. Yami took a breath before looking at his hand. He knew for sure he can't keep playing defense or else he'll be taken down without a moment's notice. _'Then I guess I'll have to test my theory with a demonstration...'_ Yami thought as he drew his card before summoning Celtic Guardian in attack.

"Now, attack the Toon Mermaid with Sei Ken Zan!" The swordsman gave a snort before lunging in to attack. _'If this works, both will be destroyed but at least I'll have one toon out of my way.'_

"Give it up! Normal attacks won't work against my toons' special abilities!" Just as Pegasus announced it, two hands emerged from the clam the toon lounged in, grasping the sword aimed for them and halting the swordsman's attack. Celtic was shocked and tried to pull away but the clam held firm. The toon grinned, giving a wink to the other monster before preparing her bow, aiming at the monster. "Go, Toon Mermaid Arrow!" She released the string, sending the arrow piercing right through Celtic's chest, flinging him back before he faded from the field.

"As you can see, Yami-boy, your theory is correct, toons can only be defeated by one another...they're the perfect lifeforms." Pegasus gave a soft chuckle as his mermaid returned to Toon World. Yami slumped in his seat, staring down at the field. _'He knows everything by now...all my strategies...all my tactics...and his toons, they can't be destroyed with raw force alone...'_ He closed his eyes. _'Is there any way how I can win this duel...'_

"Don't fret, Yami-boy, it will all be over soon." Pegasus drew his next card. "Now, I'll set one face down and end my turn." Yami nodded and drew his next card before placing the Imp down in defense. "Lovely move, now I reveal this card! Gorgon's Eye!" Pegasus flipped the trap card over and its magic came into effect, sealing the Imp into stone. "What? My Imp! It's been turned to stone!"

"Exactly. And this is a permanent trap card that will turn every defense monster you play into stone. And furthermore, when a stone monster is destroyed, half of their defense comes out of your life points." Pegasus' visible eye narrowed as he looked to Yami.

"In other words, if you wish to die quickly, then I suggest you attack my toons directly every turn...even though you can't hurt me with regular attacks anyway..." Pegasus gave a little gasp of remembrance. "Oh, and before I forget..." He grabbed the other card he had covered on the field and flipped it. "I play the spell card, Doppelganger!" The cartoon copy cat appeared from its card, giggling.

"Now, my spell will take form of the Skull Demon you played a few turns ago." The card took the card from Yami's graveyard, examining it before giving a nod, tossing the card back and disappeared into Toon World. "And now, meet my newest creation! Arise from Toon World!" The book opened once again, flipping to a scenery of a haunted town complete with graveyard and two claws emerged before out came Summoned Skull under the spell of Toon World. _'My demon...it's been degraded to a toon...'_

"Now, my Toon Demon. Attack the stone Imp!"

The toon gave a laugh before unleashing a wave of lightning at the stone monster, destroying it and Yami lost the points halved from the monster's defense, bringing him down to 900. The toon gave a raucous laugh before disappearing back into Toon World, book slamming shut until a toon is needed again for battle. "I'm done."

_'Yami's own monster...his own kin...turned into a toon and attacked him...such a horrible card.'_ Yugi thought as Yami took his turn. Pegasus gave a chuckled and Yami sneered, knowing Pegasus read his next card and probably already devised a strategy to counter what he had planned. _'As long as he has Toon World out, I can't damage his monsters and with Gorgon's Eye on the field, I can risk putting monsters into defense. There has to be a way to get out of this...' _Yami thought, trying to think of a way how he could get through Pegasus' Mind Scan.

"No way. You're trap in an infinite loop, Yami. Your will to fight is ebbing away. So are you going to forfeit and end this suffering?"

"Don't do it, Yami! Remember what you're here to fight for! If you give up now, not only will your soul be trapped but you'll fail in rescuing who you promised to save!" Aqua shouted. "The fires of their life will burn out, leaving them trapped forever!" That shocked Yami back into action and with a snarl, he looked to Pegasus. _'I won't give up now! My chance may be at zero but the will to live is infinite and now, I'm placing a gamble on it!'_

"I play Black Magician in attack mode!" he called, summoning the magician monster out onto the field. "And that won't be all for I play Magical Hats!" the hats materialized on the field, covering Black Magician from Pegasus' sight and now hoped that it would break Pegasus' Mind Scan ability from working until he could devise another plan. "I see, so you decide to go with the oldest trick in the magician's handbook. To hide the magician under a hat until you can count my Toon World field spell. But there's one little flaw to your plan..." Yami growled.

"And what would that be..."

Pegasus chuckled. "That you already chose which hat to hide your magician under. In your mind, you know which hat and with that..." The Sennen Eye flashed under the curtain of hair. "So do I..." Yami hissed as Pegasus scanned his mind without a fight, spotting the hat that the Black Magician hid under. "Let me guess now...you hid the Black Magician in the hat on the left..." Yami gasped. _'No...he can even read through a Magical Hats combo...there's no way I can beat his Sennen Eye...'_

"Glad you finally see it my way, Yami. Now are you ready? Because I am." Pegasus spoke as the book opened to the Evil Castle page where the Toon demon resided.

"Yami, no!" Yugi cried. _'Please, Yami, please don't lose. Don't leave me...'_

"Don't give up, Yami! Damn it, don't give up here!" Aqua shouted. The others continued to give their support and Keara sent a glare to Pegasus before smirking. "Time for an intervention." she whispered as she looked down to Yugi, feeling his soul cry out for Yami's life, before kneeling down to him. "Yugi, I'm going to do something that's going to help Yami and you." He looked to her with hope. "What?" She smiled before touching the Puzzle and it started to glow.

"Now, Toon Demon! Attack the left hat and blow it to bits!"

The toon cackled before sending another lightning attack at the hat on the far left. "Now your magician is nothing but ash." he whispered as the smoke cleared but gaped when nothing was there. _'What? The Black Magician isn't there! My Eye can't lie to me!'_ he thought.

"He would've been...if I didn't already change which hat he was hiding under by my own will." A new voice spoke and Pegasus looked up and gasped when it wasn't Yami sitting there but Yugi. "You couldn't read my mind to see that little change before you made your attack!" he said and Pegasus growled. Aqua blinked, seeing that his arms were empty of the smaller teen before looking over to Keara. She smiled to him. "The only way to fool the Eye is to give it a fresh mind to read. Since Yugi didn't know which hat Yami hid his monster under, it gave him the chance to change which hat to hide under before the attack hit since Pegasus decided to announce it to the world." she replied, chuckling.

Aqua smirked and nodded as he watched the duel. _'Now we have an ace in the hole now.'_

* * *

Inside Yugi's heart, Yami and Yugi confronted each other. "Yami! I was so worried!" Yugi cried, jumping into the other's arms. "I know, sweetie. I was so close to losing but you came at just the right time to save me. You're truly are a heavenly savior." Yami whispered.

"Don't thank me. Thank Keara. She was the one that sent me down. I didn't even know that we could do this since you had a separate body and all."

"We may be two different people now but the Puzzle still connects us as one, aibou. But even though we dodged this bullet, we still can't stop Pegasus from winning this duel." Yami whispered, looking off to the side. "But I think I have an idea." Yugi said, raising a hand up to turn Yami's face to his. "What if Pegasus can only read one mind? With this new ability we can share, we can switch minds and then we won't know each other's cards which will leave Pegasus guessing and the Eye useless."

"You might just have something." Yami smiled and nodded. "Then let's get this duel won. Will you join me with taking him down?"

"Of course!"

* * *

"My turn now, Pegasus!" Yugi said, drawing his next card before placing it face down, locking eyes with Pegasus. "So, can you tell what card I drew and played face down? Try to read my mind and find out!" he challenged. Pegasus gave a huff. "Suit yourself! My Item can't be fooled!" he spoke as he used his Mind Scan ability. He got sight of the card but nothing came into sight. _'What? The image is still blank to me!'_ A chuckle was heard as a familiar voice was heard.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Pegasus, but I don't know what card my love played so my mind is blank to what he played."

_'No! They switched minds again!'_ Pegasus thought with a growl. "So I guess his theory was right. You can only read one mind and while scanning, we switched so you scanned the wrong mind. Now we have a fool proof plan to defeat your Sennen Eye and that Mind Shuffle!"

"I think I get it but how can that work if Yugi and Yami are still two separate people?" Jou questioned. "We are separate people but the Puzzle connects our soul into one so whoever is in control now, the other will wait within until they switch again. It's like two sides to a coin." Aqua explained.

"Oh, I get it now...ok, no I don't." Aqua sighed and whacked Jou over the back of the head. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"For being stupid, obviously." Kaiser murmured with a chuckle. Jou pouted and crossed his arms, getting a chuckle from his brother. _'But all they need to do now is conquer that Toon World. With that still on the field, they still have a disadvantage.'_ Aqua thought.

"Well, Pegasus, go on. It's your turn." Yami spoke and Pegasus growled as he drew his card. _'Black Magician is hiding under one of those hats but only Yugi knows that along with the hidden face down card...'_ he thought before giving a short clap. "I'm surprised that you two came up with something like this. You definitely stumped me good. But of course, as long as Toon World is still on the field, I'm invincible to your attacks. All you can do is hide away in your hats!"

"Well then, Pegasus, let's see you destroy the Black Magician then. You have a one in three chance in picking the right hat." He gave a little smirk. "Or are you a coward and can't trust your own intuition without relying on the Sennen Eye to make your moves for you?"

Pegasus growled at the accusation before giving a smile. "You're right. It's been a while since I trusted my own instincts. Let's see if they haven't gone rusty over the years. For my turn, I put Toon Summoned Skull into attack mode." The toon monsters appeared from the book, towering over Pegasus' side of the field.

"Now, attack the middle hat!" The toon sent his attack upon the target and when the smoke cleared, it proved to be a miss. "Too bad. Wrong again, Pegasus." Yami spoke, chuckling to himself. "You know, as a game creator, I'm sure you're aware that every game has a winner and a loser. Do you know what separates the two? I'm sure you don't."

"Oh? Well if you know so much, care to enlighten me?"

"The good judgment needed to know the rules to a game and assess the situation given and the instincts to decide when and how to act. Whoever has those will win." Yami spoke. "Judgment comes from experience and confidence. Instincts require a little more confidence. As I've witnessed, you relied too much on the Sennen Eye to win your games. You became too smug...too arrogant...you have lost _all_ that's meant to be a duelist."

"What?"

"Exactly my words, Pegasus. When it comes to real confidence, my aibou is ten times better than you!" Pegasus growled and Yami smirked before he switched with Yugi. "My turn." he spoke as he drew a card and smiled. _'This look likes the perfect card to use.'_ he thought as he placed it face down on the field before ending his turn and switching back with Yami before Pegasus could scan his mind. _'Damn it...another card I can't see...'_ Pegasus thought with a growl as he looked to Yami. _'I don't know what Yugi chose to play but I know that he knows I can come up with a strategy for them. I can feel that in his heart.'_

"My turn." Pegasus spoke, drawing his card and smirked. _'Wonderful.'_ He placed the card onto the field, smirking all the while. "I play Magic Neutralizing Force! And I send its effect to your side of the field!"

"Oh no!"

"And just to warn you, this card will wipe out all of the opponent's magic and that means...your magical hats are no more!"

The vortex created by the spell card extinguished the Magical Hats, bringing the Black Magician out into the open. "Now do you understand, Yami? Skilled duelists do not need instincts, they use brains to with without any risks!" Pegasus said.

"Now, my Toon Demon! Arise from Toon World and destroy the Black Magician with Demon Lightning!" The book opened, flipping to the proper page and the toon emerged, grinning wickedly before sending out his attack. _'No, he'll kill the Black Magician since he can't counter a toon!'_ Yami thought.

/Yami, I'm switching you out!/ Yugi spoke and he nodded as he let the other switch with him. _'No! Not Yugi!'_ Pegasus thought.

"I play my face down card! Living Arrow!"

_'What! The Magic Transfer arrow?'_ he thought in horror.

"You didn't notice, did you, Pegasus? While I was drawing cards, Yami was provoking you. And now, you got so frustrated that you play just the card we needed! Living Arrow lets me transfer spell cards...or magic effects...from me to you and now we're sending your neutralizing force right back at you, Pegasus!" The arrow was shot from the card, piercing through Pegasus spell card and embedding into Toon World and effecting the spell card with the neutralizing power of Pegasus' own card.

"You may have done that but you still can't stop the Toon Demon's attack!" Pegasus announced.

"Or can I?" Yugi said with a grin, making Pegasus gasp. Yugi flipped over his second face down, revealing it to be Mirror Force. The attack hit Black Magician but the barrier was enforced before the magician could be destroyed, sending the attack back at Pegasus' monsters who were now free from Toon World's spell now that it was neutralized by the spell card. They all gave cries of pains as they were hit by Summoned Skull's returned attack, all fading from the field and taking a huge chunk from Pegasus' life points, bringing him down to 800.

"Yes! The toons are finally gone!" Yugi cheered and Yami smiled from within, glad to have Yugi's support through the toughest portion of the duel. /Now all we need to do now is finish him off and we win and can free every soul that he has trapped./ Yami spoke.

* * *

Zypher: And there. Done with the first half of this duel and I'm sure it leaves you all eager for more. -chuckles- Anywho, hoped you all enjoyed what I have for you today and I'll see you soon with another chapter. -waves- See ya!

Translation:

Sei Ken Zan - Holy Sword Slash


	19. Duel of Kings, part 2

Zypher: And here we are with the second half to the Yami vs. Pegasus duel! Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so here's another explosive chapter for ya! Enjoy!

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 19

* * *

With the loss of his toons, Pegasus was now at a disadvantage but he wasn't worried. Instead, he was angered beyond all reason that not only his Eye will fail him as long as Yugi is within Yami's soul but that they were able to come up with a strategy to get rid of his main card.

"This is great! A smashing combo move made by Yugi and Yami!" Jou cheered and Ryou smiled, all doubts of Yami possibly losing the duel under Pegasus' expert skill dashed away. Diamond smiled down to her brother. "See? I told you to have a little more faith in him and look what happened. They got rid of Toon World and have a way to trump Pegasus' Mind Scan." she spoke and Ryou nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry for being so doubtful about it."

"It's alright."

Pegasus looked to Yugi, anger shining in the depths of his amber eyes. "No wonder Yami and Aqua chose you as their eternal life mate and possessor of the Sennen Puzzle. But it looks like I played around too much with you. Guess it's time for the challenge your demon is waiting for and bring you along for the ride." Yugi was a little skeptical about what Pegasus was speaking of when he saw black smog start emerging from behind the creator.

"Little Yugi...from here on, it isn't just a battle to win a tournament, but a battle between the chosen one of the Sennen Items. From here on, it's a Yami no Game!"

Yugi gasped as the playing field was engulfed in the black and purple cloud of shadow energy that was invisible to those that didn't have any magical abilities but that doesn't mean they couldn't see the effects that were starting to take toll on Yugi. "Yugi!" Aqua cried as he watched the Shadow Realm position over the field. "He won't survive in there! He doesn't have the spirit to take on such an onslaught of raw shadow energy!"

"What?" Jou cried before looking down to the field. "Yugi! Yugi, please, hang in there and don't die on us!"

* * *

Yugi looked around fearfully in the dark realm they were placed into by Pegasus. He then looked over to said duelist as he started speaking again.

"Now, did you ever know why I got the idea to create Duel Monsters? It all started back on a trip that I've taken to Egypt. There was a legend that three-thousand years ago, Egyptians had to seal monsters into stone tablets and summon them for battle in the pharaoh's court. But soon, the magicians faded away along with this ability and the tablets were put away to rest deep below the sands of time. But...this legend was recorded in the Book of Thoth and passed down from generation to generation, soon being the key inspirer for tarot cards! And now, it has been said that all card games in this time has been create from this one Egyptian legend!"

_'The game was originally from Egypt! Then maybe there is some connection there that would lead us to Yami and Aqua's past!'_ Yugi thought.

"After hearing of this legend, I decided to create a modern version of the game to bring back what people have forgotten about Ancient Egypt. And now, I can finally recreate one of these ancient battles with a duelist worthy of the challenge! And now, the shadow game begins." Pegasus whispered as he drew his card. Yugi watched his movement as the dark fog floated around them but then he started feeling odd. It felt as if the cold was gripping him, suffocating him. Pegasus saw these effects and smirked. _'Now you're in a Wizards' duel, Yugi...let's see how much you can handle the pressure. No mere mortal can get through this alive!'_

Yami growled from within Yugi's soul, feeling the effect taking its toll on Yugi. _'He can't handle this but I know he wants to be there for me to keep Pegasus' Mind Scan at bay. But eventually, the Shadow Realm will consume him.'_ he thought before he took over for Yugi. /I'll draw the cards from now on, Yugi. We can still try to keep a hold of this plan but you can't stay out for long or else you might take too much strain from the powers of this realm./

/Alright, Yami. But if you get into too much trouble, I'm coming in to help./ Yugi spoke and Yami frowned as he heard Yugi's mental voice starting to waver a little from the exposure earlier. "This is the final battle, Pegasus and I assure you, I won't lose to you!" Yami called.

"Such words. But don't think I've forgotten about your little mind game from before. Do you really think your lover can withstand the shadows long enough to help you win this duel?" Pegasus jeered as he placed down his next card. "I play Dark Eyes Illusionist." A vortex emerged from behind Pegasus before the monster appeared, appearing as real as they were and Yami growled. "As you can see, Yami, the monsters are now as real as the players that summoned them! Fueled to live by their master's willpower! But you have to be wary cause if you lose the game, you might just die!"

Yami examined the monster warily, seeing that it couldn't pose much of a challenge with no attack and defense but knew that it must have some sort of ability to make up for its lack of attack and defense. He drew his next card and placed Curse of Dragon down in attack before ending his turn. /I'll take over while you come up with a plan, Yami./ Yugi whispered through the link before switching places with the demon.

But as soon as he took the seat, he gasped, his heart pounding three times as fast and felt painful with each beat. Pegasus smirked as he watched the child before him struggle with breathing. _'He doesn't have the mentality to manage his monsters and survive the realm...if he keeps this us, he as good as gone, leaving Yami alone and free to scan without the pestering child! And sadly, Aqua cannot assist him with the realm in place!'_

"What's going on with Yugi? It looks like he's in too much pain!" Myrrh cried.

"It's the Shadow Realm! When you get thrown into it, everything you do with the cards become real from summoning live monsters to destructive spells and traps! But to maintain monsters, it takes the willpower of a trained magician but Yugi can't handle it because mortals are not known to survive long enough in the shadows!"

"Oh no!" she cried before looking down to the field.

"They're in a world that we cannot see and Yugi's suffering in it! We can't do anything to help him!" Honda hissed in anger, feeling sour that his friend was suffering and there was little they all could do to help.

"Hum de dum...well then, guess it's my turn now." Pegasus spoke as he drew his card. "I'll play one down in defense and end my turn." Yugi was starting to hyperventilate with his iron-will to protect his charge and lover, Yami wasn't planning to let the battle go on and quickly took Yugi's place and sent in the Curse of Dragon to attack the Illusionist. _'Ah, got you!'_ Pegasus thought with glee before calling out for the Illusionist to activate his special ability.

"Dark Eyes Magic!"

A blinding light engulfed the two monsters before a seal in the shape of the same eye that the Illusionist had was emblazoned onto the Curse of Dragon who screeched in pain, now paralyzed from the spell. "No! Curse of Dragon!" Yami cried and Pegasus smirked. "To make up for its lack of attack and defense, illusionists possess special abilities to assist them in battles...Dark Eyes Illusionist in particular is the handy ability to drain an enemy's power with its gaze!"

Yami growled in anger, seeing that his thoughts about the monster were true. "But it doesn't end there, Yami. I'm going to play another monster using the Black Illusion Ritual! I sacrifice two monsters to bring out the Lord of Sacrifices, Relinquished!" A decrepit groan was heard before the deformed monstrosity appeared upon the field, the insignia of the Sennen Items also on the monster as well. "Now, let me show you the unique power Relinquished holds!" Soon, the gaping hole that was on the monster started sucking in wind and soon, with another screech, the Curse of Dragon was dragged into the gaping maw of the monster and disappeared to who know where.

_'No, my dragon!'_

Yami snarled in anger before sending Black Magician to destroy Relinquished. But to his surprise, the protrusions upon Relinquished's back came down, forming a shell around him but what surprised him even more is that Curse of Dragon emerged partly from the shell protecting the monster, giving it the dragon's attack and defense. _'Shit! It merged with my dragon and is using it for a shield!'_ Yami thought with horror as the attack hit, destroying Curse of dragon but left Relinquished unscathed by the attack.

"Hah! Your Black Magician destroys your own monster!" Pegasus gloated. _'And I take the damage for it!'_ Yami thought as his life fell to 400. "As you see, by absorbing an enemy's monster, Relinquished gains that monster attack and defense! But as you witnessed, attacking your own monster will cause you to take the battle damage and leave him safe to assimilate another!"

/Yami! He's using our monsters as sacrifices!/ Yugi cried from within.

"And now, time to take another! Relinquished, use the Dark Eyes Magic! Capture the magician with your gaze and devour him!" The monster reared up in response and the eye glowed, trapping the Black Magician in the paralyzing spell before he suffered the same fate as the Curse of Dragon, becoming part of Relinquished and giving it attack and defense to the monster as Relinquished's Sacrifice Shield lowered once more, revealing the trapped magician. "Now my endless adaptable demon has the power of your magician. If you attack, you will only shed your own blood. What will you do now?"

_'Even though there isn't much you can do against my invincible illusion combo!'_

/Yugi...there isn't anything I can do. That monster is a menace and I can barely do anything without harming myself in the process./

/Well, for one, you can't sit there or else Pegasus will read your mind in your time of hesitation! We won't give up! I'll take over while you think of something!/ Yugi replied, prepared to do so.

/No! Yugi, you are already too exhausted! Anymore exposure to the realm and you might die!/ Yami argued.

/I want to fight with you to the end, Yami! We're together in this and I'm not going to let you fight alone!/ Yami gave a faint smile to Yugi's determination and nodded, letting the smaller take over. Yugi started breathing heavily again but wasn't planning to let the realm win him over. He reached out to draw his next card, praying to every deity that it will be card to help Yami win the duel. When he saw what it was, he gave a light smile.

"I'll play one card face down...and play Feral Imp in defense..." Yugi whispered, becoming drained with just that little bit of movement. _'Yami, please...use this card and defeat Pegasus once and for all...'_

_'Now, for the killing blow.'_ Pegasus thought. "Relinquished, at the ready!" The monster gave a groan, facing down the small monster that was Yugi's last defense. "Illusion Black Magic!" A blast equivalent to the Black Magician's attack shot out, destroying the Imp and the onslaught of power behind the attack finally ended it and Yugi fainted upon the table, getting an enraged cry from Yami.

/Yugi? Yugi? _Yugi!_/ Yami cried, trying to reach his other half but everything was silent on the other end of the link.

"Yugi!" Everyone on the second floor cried as they saw the smaller duelist collapse on the table. Within, Yami took hold of Yugi, trying to get him to wake but no response was heard from the smaller.

"Well, well, looks like Yugi couldn't survive the shadow game. Now his soul is dead." Pegasus spoke.

"Yugi's soul is dead! No way!" Kaiser cried.

"It can't be true!" Myrrh whimpered. "Be quiet, Pegasus! It isn't true! Please, Yugi! Please wake up!" But with everyone's cries, Yugi never got up and with another cry, Myrrh buried her face into the shoulder of the nearest person which was Honda. Honda hugged the girl as he looked to the field. "We couldn't do anything...all we could do was stand here..." Honda hissed before he looked up, turning to Aqua.

"Wait! You could've done something! Why didn't you do anything! You could've saved your lover!"

Aqua sent a seething glare over to Honda. "Don't you think I know that! But I can't do anything! Once a Yami no Game has its victims, no other can enter it for it would upset the balance and worse things can happen than what just occurred right now!" he roared and Honda flinched at his anger. Keara looked over to him and placed a hand onto his shoulder before bringing the other into her arms, hugging him lightly as he started to cry.

"Yugi...Yugi, I'm so sorry...I can't save you..."

"It's ok, Aqua...just let it all out..."

Angered at this, Yami took Yugi's place, cerise eyes darkened to a blood red that promised death to Pegasus. "I will never forgive you for what you done, Pegasus!" Yami roared.

"Oh, but why should you keep dueling? Without Yugi's soul, you can't use your Mind Shuffle and without it, your mind is free to be scanned."

"But there's no Game Over at this point! I'm in too far and I'll fight to the end to avenge the death of the one you took from me! As long as my heart beats, I will fight!"

"There has to be a way to help Yami. Any way." Jou whispered, trying hard not to cry for the loss of their younger friend. "There is a way." Keara murmured, holding up the heart shaped charm that they were all given a long time ago. "You're right!" Honda cheered and they all started to pour their hearts to Yami to help him win and soon, the crystals started glowing brightly in their respective colors. _'Hang on, Yami, we're coming to help!'_

With a grin, Pegasus did a mind scan of Yami's new card as he drew it, seeing it to be Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Yami growled before looking to his field. _'My life is riding on this last card my love placed down. I hope your sacrifice won't be in vain.'_ Yami thought as he placed the dragon in defense.

"Now it's my turn! Lord of Sacrifices, use your Dark Eyes Magic and absorb the Winged Dragon!"

With another sound of confirmation, Winged Dragon was absorbed into Relinquished, its attack power being added to that of Black Magician's, giving the monster a total of 3900 attack. _'Shit, I wasn't expecting for it to be able to absorb more than one monster. Pegasus definitely is going all out but I will make him pay for destroying my love's soul.'_ he thought with determination.

"But my turn isn't over yet. Now, I play Jigen Bakudan!" The monster appeared upon the field and Yami gasped. _'Jigen Bakudan...the living time bomb!'_

"I didn't absorb your monster just for my own gain but I'm going to destroy you with a bang! With this, I can finally complete my sacrifice combo!"

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes! Since Jigen Bakudan is a bomb monster, it can't be easily destroyed! And in two turns, it will destroy all the monsters on the field! And as you know, the combined attack my monster has is from your monster so in all, my monster still has nothing in the case of attack and defense! But you, on the other hand, will suffer!"

The Black Magician and Winged Dragon struggled once more, looking to Yami hopelessly as they were trapped strongly in the grip of Relinquished's Sacrifice Shield and wasn't able to escape easily. And Yami knew what they wanted. He could feel his monsters' desperation. They want him to win this and save the young master but with them unable to help and soon be part of Pegasus' sacrifice combo, there was little they could do.

But he wasn't planning to give up so soon. _'But if he pulls of this combo, I'm as good as dead!' He looked down to the bomb, hearing it ticking off every second and growled, looking to his hand and trying to come up with something to save himself. 'I'll have to draw but Pegasus will be able to read my every move and card...'_ But as he thought, a voice spoke through the dark haze of his mind...

_/Yami...don't you know the answer? You have to believe in your cards and one other thing...the only thing that this life has given you.../_

His eyes snapped open and he gave a smirk, reaching out to draw his next card. _'I know what to believe in now!'_ But even with his smirk, Pegasus knew that what he drew will be useless to him. He activated his mind scan, getting a visual of the card but before he could see what the image was, he was blocked and he gasped. _'What the?'_ The figures came into clearer view and he saw them to be the group of friends that stood beside Yami throughout his revival.

"You have done enough, Pegasus! Now's the time to leave and never return to this plane of mind ever again!" Keara spoke, raising a hand and with a cry, Pegasus was ejected from Yami's mind. _'No! It can't be! His friends are protecting him now!'_ Yami smiled, praising his friends for their help before looking to Pegasus.

"You may have gotten rid of one protector but you can't get rid of them all. I've created a strong bond with those that my love has introduced me to and they are here to protect me and my brother just as much as we protect them!" he spoke before placing down his next card.

"And now, I'll finish this! I play the Mystic Box of Death!" Two boxes appeared around the Black Magician as well as Jigen Bakudan. Pegasus was still reeling that his Sennen Eye has failed him again and was now in a panic that he couldn't counter Yami's card in time. Swords embedded through the box where the Black Magician was contained but the magician was freed while the bomb was left in his place. Yami ended his turn and Pegasus growled, drawing his next card.

"You may have freed your magician but your dragon is still Relinquished's prisoner! If the bomb explodes, you will still lose! You are dead on you next turn, demon!" Pegasus hissed as he ended his turn, seeing as with the magician back on Yami's field, he couldn't attack without causing damage to himself which is something he isn't planning to make the mistake of doing.

"We'll see about that!" Yami snarled, drawing his next card. "I play Brain Control! Give me command of Relinquished!" The monster gave a squelch of denial but the magic was too strong and it was soon on Yami's side of the field. Pegasus was angered at this but the time on Jigen Bakudan was soon reaching its end. "You're a little too late, Yami! You're time's almost up!"

"But you've forgotten, I still have one last card. The last card that my love has played in his dying breath. This card will be the one that will end your reign of terror upon the innocent souls you have trampled over with your misuse of ancient magics!" He flipped over the card and called out its name.

"Black Magic Ritual! Winged Dragon and Jigen Bakudan! Give your lives so that a greater force may be freed!" The two monsters were sucked away into the urns that rested on each side of the pentagram marked pedestal. The magic of the ritual surrounded Black Magician before he was transformed into a greater magician of unimaginable strength.

"Rise, Magician of Black Chaos!" Yami called as the blue skinned magician was unveiled from the plumes of smoke. "Pegasus, this is the trump card that will defeat you!"

Pegasus was stunned that Yugi's last move prove beneficial to Yami. _'Being able to brainwash my monster and use my two sacrificial monsters to bring him out...but Brain Control will wear off soon and I'll be able to absorb his magician. He will have nothing left to defend himself against his monster's own power!'_ But as long as he had his friends protecting him, he can't make any more scans to counter any of his moves. _'But it doesn't matter, he can play to the limit but I'll still win this!'_

"Now, I'll play another card face down and I summon Kuriboh in defense!"

_'What! Someone in the dueling world actually uses such a weak card?'_ Pegasus then looked down to Yami's face down and knew he had every right to worry. The demon could be trying to bait him with a weak monster but he won't fall for it. _'And I won't be a fool. He may think Relinquished is my ultimate card but he hasn't met my true trump card yet.'_ Once Yami ended his turn, Relinquished returned back to Pegasus' side and he gave a short cackle. "I know you must be thinking that I will have Relinquished absorb your monster but I won't do that just yet!" he called as he drew his next card.

"No, I'll use Polymerization to combine Relinquished with Thousand-Eyes Idol to create the evil god of a thousand sacrifices, Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" The already grotesque monster started to shift and reform, becoming a much more terrifying creature with as many eyes as the name given to it. "Yami, this is the end of our duel! The last move to crown the winner and I assure you, with this creature, I will claim it as well as your soul!"

"It isn't over yet!"

"Oh, but it is! Now that Relinquished has become Thousand-Eyes Restrict, its powers is more than equal to that of your chaos magician! But the Kuriboh is naught but a worm to it!" Yami growled, not planning to let Pegasus get what he wants. He had faith in his monsters just as they place their life in his hands. "I accept the challenge you placed, Pegasus! I won't let you break the promise I made to my lover!"

"We'll just see about that! Thousand-Eyes Restrict! Open your eyes! Sengan Jubaku (Thousand-Eyes Curse)!" At the call, each of the eyes opened wide, unleashing the curse upon Yami's monsters and freezing them in their places. _'No! My monsters! They can't move!'_

"As long as the dark god's eyes are open, your monsters will be forever paralyzed by its curse! Now all that's left for me to do is activate its central eye and absorb your monsters! It's over!"

"Not if I can help it!" Yami roared, reaching out for his face down.

"Evil Eye! Unleash your power and devour the Magician of Black Chaos! Your monster is now mine!"

"Really now? I don't see that happening." Yami whispered and Pegasus' eye widened as Yami played his face down. "Multiply! Unleash your power and multiply Kuriboh!" The tiny furball monster was soon multiplying over Yami's field, protecting the magician from Restrict's Evil Eye magic and being exposed to the magic itself.

"And with that, all the Kuriboh have been exposed to the Evil Eye magic so that means your monster will have to absorb all of them." The great maw of Restrict widened and started sucking up each and every Kuriboh on the field, giving it 300 attack.

"No...No! They're growing all over Restrict like a bad rash!"

"And that's not all. I'm sure you know of Kuriboh's special ability. When it touches the opponent, it explodes, just like a living land mine."

_'A...a living land mine?'_

On contact, every Kuriboh that was on Thousand-Eyes Restrict exploded, causing the monster to screech in pain, all of it eyes now tightly shut from the blasts. "I take a toll on my own life points for Kuriboh's death but that sacrifice is just what I need. Now your monster is blind, freeing my magician from its spell." Eyes filled with loathing and the promise of death looked to Pegasus. "Are you ready, Pegasus...cause your end is upon you! Magician of Black Chaos, kill Thousand Eyes Restrict with Destructive Spell Death Ultima!"

The magician gave a wave of his wand before sending the destructive blast at the monster, blowing it to pieces and with it, Pegasus' remaining life points. "No!" Pegasus cried, the realm of darkness finally fading away and, behind Yami, appeared Aqua with a barely awake Yugi in his arms.

"Pegasus...it's over...we won..." Yugi whispered.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it! The end of the duel with an explosive finish! Hope you all enjoyed and now comes the critical questions that will determine the future plots of this story (one being a bit of a spoiler but they have to be put out now before I forget about them).

1. In the manga, Pegasus dies by Bakura's hand. If you would like me to still keep the Doom/Doma series in the story, you must tell me through your reviews or else I will continue to follow the base plot of the manga and leave that portion out.

2. Both virtual world portions are also out of the manga. You have to tell me if you want me to keep either one or both. You have your choice of the Legendary Heroes virtual world and Noah's virtual world.

3. Also, the Grand Championship tournament has been taken out from the manga.

4. Last but not least is the Capsule Monster world story.

Well, that all I have to say. If you want any of these extra plots to be added into YnG, you have to say so in your reviews so I can plan ahead with how to fit them in, especially the Doom/Doma series since the outcome of what happens to Pegasus in the next chapter determines the add-in or not. And now for everyone favorite, the Duel Monster stories. Enjoy!

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's deck-

The monsters were cheering in celebration for their victory over Pegasus. Amidst the group was Celtic, who looked around for Mahaado. _'I wonder where he could be...'_ he wondered as he continued to search for the purple clad magician. With no sign of the other, he gave a sigh as he started on his way back to the warrior's dorm.

"Hey, Celtic! Where are you going?" Gaia called as he ran over to the elf warrior. "I'm a little tired. I'm going to go ahead and get some rest." Celtic replied before he gave a yelp as he was dragged back to the gathering. "Oh no you don't! Besides, someone wants to meet with you!"

Celtic blinked. "Who?"

"You'll see."

When they reached the celebration grounds, Gaia led Celtic over to where a large crowd was situated. "In you go." Gaia said, pushing the smaller warrior through the crowd and with a yelp, Celtic stumbled until he bumped into another. "Sorry about that." he murmured, rubbing his head before looking up to the one he hit and gaped. Magician of Black Chaos smirked down to him. "So, you're Celtic Guardian. The one my young charge was worrying about throughout the final leg of the duel."

"Young charge...are you talking about the Black Magician?"

"Well, of course. What other magician would I be speaking of? Certainly not Mystical Elf. Anyways, he was worried about you and went looking around for you but before he found you, I decided to ask Gaia there to bring you over so I could get a good look at you since I'll be making permanent residence here." he explained as he gazed down at the smaller warrior. "So, what's this I hear about you being more to Mahaado?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Really? Can't trust me with such information like your love for Mahaado." Celtic looked to him in surprise. "How did you learn that?" Chaos chuckled and patted Celtic's shoulder. "Come on. You're talking to the magician that your lover became after a ritual. How would I not know about such." With another chuckle, Chaos patted Celtic's shoulder before shooing him away.

"You best go find your lover now, little elf. I'll talk to you again soon enough and don't worry. I won't steal you from Mahaado if that's what you're thinking. I have my own warrior love matter to attend to." Chaos called and Celtic flushed a little that his mind was read so easily by the other before scurrying off to look for Mahaado before he worried the other magician more.

He checked around the Spell-casters' dorm for any sign of him but didn't see him there. He then looked through the other dorms with the same result. He sighed and was about to head back to his own when he heard his name being called and turned to be met with an embrace from the relieved magician. "Finally found you! I was hoping to catch you at the celebration but you weren't there." Mahaado murmured as he kissed the elf warrior's forehead lightly.

"Sorry. Just wasn't in the mood to celebrate but I'm proud Master Yami was able to win. How did it go?"

"We almost lost the young master but Master Yami made sure that fool pay for that."

"Really? You have to tell me the whole story. I was knocked out early thanks to that mermaid." Celtic gave a sigh. "Can't believe I was taken out by some toon monster. I'm glad none of the warriors are laughing at me behind my back because of it."

"Aww, don't worry. I'm here for you, Celtic. Always have and always will."

Celtic smiled and hugged the other. "Thanks, Mahaado. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Same with you, my lovely elf." Mahaado whispered, bringing the other into a light kiss before they walked along towards the warriors' dorm so that Mahaado could tell what happened on his half on the duel.

* * *

Zypher: And there's the end of that little Duel Monsters story. Yes, Chaos is going to be the fun-loving person ready to tease poor Celtic. At least it was better than having him try to flirt with the elf. Probably be running for my life from Mahaado if I did that. -chuckles nervously- Anyways, hoped you enjoyed and please, don't forget to give me your input about the plots for future chapters. Especially the Doom/Doma series. If you want it in you have to say so or else it'll be taken out when I get started on the next chapter which probably won't be for a while. -waves- See you all later.


	20. Closing: Duelist Kingdom

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 20

* * *

_'Lose...Me...' _Pegasus thought as he still looked at the empty field incredulously. There was no way be could lose. He was the ultimate player. He had the Sennen Eye on his side. But the demons and their mate were still able to foil him._ 'I...the one who holds the Sennen Eye...lost the game that I created...'_

Yugi sighed before looking behind him to see Yami standing there, a smile on his face. /Yami...we did it.../ he whispered through the mind link.

/Yes we did, little one. But we didn't do this alone. With the support of everyone that stood beside us in these troubling times did we have the chance./ Yami spoke as he rested a hand on Yugi's shoulder. From above, the others returned back to their bodies from their immaterial forms and Jou smirked. "Heh...don't say a word guys...I know what it's like. I felt..."

"I felt Yugi's pain of fighting and the joy of winning! I feel the same way!" Ryou said from Jou's right, causing the other to turn to him. "Hey...that was my line..."

"I feel like we fought alongside Yami somehow..." Honda added. "Yeah...same here..." Myrrh pointed out. Jou pouted and crossed his arms. _'Dammit, they said everything I wanted to say...'_ he thought and Keara chuckled softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Jou. Just be glad that you helped Yami in his time of need." she said and he looked up to her before grinning widely, brushing his nose shyly. "Yeah, you're right!" Yami smiled as he looked up to them and gave them all a thumbs up, making their all cheer happily. His gaze then looked to the withering form of Pegasus and growled a little. "Now, Pegasus, you still have a promise to fulfill and I suggest you do it before I decide to tear you apart right here for the hell you put us all through." he hissed.

Pegasus didn't say anything for a moment before nodding slightly. "Yes...I'll keep my promise..." he whispered before bringing out the two soul prison cards of Mokuba and Kaiba from the inside pocket of his blazer. "I can't believe it...Pegasus-sama lost..." Saruwatari whispered from above.

"He lost...it's all over...'' A man whispered from within the viewing box.

Myrrh lifted the video player and watched as a wispy smoke rose from it. "Hoho...something feels funny..." Sugoroku whispered before his soul was lifted from the player and made its return back to his body. The same process happened for Kaiba and Mokuba as they returned back to their bodies as well. From above, Myrrh waved the player. "Yugi! Your grandfather's image is gone from the player! He's free!" she said and Yugi smiled even more before turning to look back to Yami. "Thank you so much, Yami...you've done so much to help me and for that, I'm grateful. I couldn't have done this without you or Aqua."

"It's all thanks to you, little one. You saved us from an eternity trapped in the puzzle and for giving us a chance at a new life, we will do what we can." he replied. Pegasus gave a small sigh, catching their attention once more. "My men will get your prize ready." he spoke and Yami gave a snort. "Using my Sennen Eye...I've seen the minds of many people...but you were an enigma. I've never saw a person with three minds. So that is the power of the Puzzle." he murmured. Yami looked away.

"Who truly knows? Even Aqua and I don't know the full extent of the Puzzle's power. But there was some force, some will, that brought the two of us into Yugi's possession." Yami spoke.

"You...you don't know about the evil power hidden within the Sennen items? The evil intelligence that all of them hold?" Pegasus questioned as he looked to them. Ryou and Diamond looked to Pegasus questionably while Bakura and Crimson listened from within. "Really? Then that leads me to this question. How did you claim your item, Pegasus? Where did you get it and why?" Pegasus gave a sigh as he turned his gaze from Yami before reaching into his blazer. "To tell you that story...I must explain one thing to you." he said as he pulled out another card and placed it on the dueling table.

_'That card...it's the same as the painting of the woman in the dining hall.'_ Yugi thought.

"Cyndia...that is her name. She died seven years ago. My beloved who died at the tender age of 17." he murmured and Yugi gasped. He was about to say something but a squeeze on his shoulder from Yami quieted him and he listened as Pegasus started the story.

/"I met her fourteen years ago...my father was immensely wealthy. He manage casinos in Las Vegas. At night, he would take my hand and attend fancy social functions to build up his credibility. During one of them is where I met Cyndia, the daughter of my father's wealthy friend. Soon, we were drawn to each other..."/

/"We always talked about our dreams...I was going to become a famous painter and travel around the world, gaining inspiration and selling my art. We swore to spend the rest of our lives together...but soon after I turned 17, Cyndia got sick and left this world."/

/"For months, I stared at the white canvas that was my heart...next thing I knew, I was in Egypt. I had become interested in Ancient Egyptian culture and their belief about life after death...the idea that souls in this world live eternally in the world to come."/

_'Egypt...did he get the Sennen items there as well...?'_ Yami wondered as Pegasus continued.

/"500 km from Cairo is the Valley of the Kings, not far from where the Nile passes through the land. A necropolis...a city of the dead...with the ruins of the ancient pharaohs' tombs. It was as if the desert sands reflected my heart. But not even there did I see anything that could fill that blank canvas..."/

A young Pegasus walked through the desolate town, looking around. "A village in a place like this..." he murmured before he heard the thumps of feet on the ground and turned in the directed of the commotion. "Stop thief!" A man shouted as he chased after a ragged man, something gold clenched in his fingers. The thief soon tripped and the black robed men gathered around him. "P-please let me go...you can have it back!" The thief pleaded. A man took the item back but didn't let the thief get away. They kicked and punched him before two lifted him up by his arms. "Let's go..." One muttered, ready to drag him off and he decided it was time to stop standing by the sidelines.

"Please wait! Let that man go! If he stole that ring, I'll pay for it!" he said, digging out all the money he had. "Here, this is all I have!" The men turned to look to him before parting as one walked up to Pegasus.

/"It was a boy...or was it? He stared at me with a mysterious light within his gaze and suddenly the desert dropped in degrees around me. From his neck hung an ankh on a string..."/

"Shadi?" Yugi exclaimed and Pegasus looked to him.

"You know him? I never knew his name for he never spoke of it to me..."

"Don't stop there. Keep going." Yami spoke and Pegasus nodded, letting his thoughts calm before going on with his tale.

-Flashback-

"If you wish to stay, do not flaunt your wealth around." Shadi spoke as he turned from Pegasus. "That man stole an artifact from sacred lands. We only punished him for the act of theft. The value of the ring is irrelevant...but if we even tried to measure its value in gold, no amount would suffice." he murmured before looking back to Pegasus. "Are you a traveler?" Pegasus didn't respond, leaving Shadi to chuckle a little. "This village, Kul Elna, was created by grave robbers. It is called the grave robbers' village. Thieves like this are not uncommon." he spoke before walking off. "This is not a place for someone like yourself. You best leave at once." he continued as he walked on.

"What you seek is not here...this is not a place where the sadness of losing a loved one is healed." Pegasus gasped at his words. _'That boy...he read my mind!'_

"Take him away!" Shadi commanded and the men robed in black started dragging the thief away despite his protests.

/"His words stayed with me, so I followed then in secrecy. They entered a house of sun dried brick...but it led to a place that surely I never would've imagined to be there from its outside appearance...for inside was a hidden underground temple."/

"P-Please! I'm sorry I stole it...please don't kill me!" The thief begged. But Shadi only regarded the plea with a cold glare. "I do not condemn you for stealing the Sennen Ring...the issue is whether you are a chosen one...will the ring itself accept you as its bearer." Shadi spoke. "Put on the ring! The answer will make itself known..."

One of the men holding the ring placed it on the thief and no sooner after the ring touched the man flesh did he give an ear piercing scream, flames erupting from his mouth and eyes, a demonic laughter hear echoing throughout the room.

/"It was an awful sight...the moment he put on the necklace, fire bursts out from his eyes and mouth...he died instantly, vomiting flames...and that evil laughter haunted my spirit..."/

"The Sennen items tests the souls of those who possess them. Those who are not worthy will be burned alive, body and soul..." Shadi murmured.

"When will the chosen one appear...?" One of the men asked as he looked to Shadi. "Until we can find suitable hosts, we cannot find the missing Sennen items..."

"There is no need to hurry..." Shadi answered. "The Sennen items are drawn to each other. If I had to liken it to something similar, the eight items are like pieces of a puzzle. When the time comes, they all be united once more." Shadi said, taking he ring from the charred corpse and placed it back into its rightful place on the tablet. "Right here in the tablet of the Pharaohs' memories."

-Break-

_'The pharaohs' memories! That must be what we're looking for!'_ Yami thought.

"It was like the lid of a sarcophagus but it contained indentations with four Sennen Items in it already. A scale...a ring...a pendant...and a eye..." Pegasus murmured. "It was the eye that I was chosen to wield from that day forth.

-Flashback-

Pegasus gasped as he felt hands grabbed at him, more men appearing out of nowhere and had grabbed him. He was dragged down the stairs to where Shadi was. "What are you doing here?" One of the men demanded. Another shouted something to Shadi in Egyptian and he turned back to look to them. "I thought I told you to leave this village...you saw something that you shouldn't have bore witness to. The only way to leave this holy place is to be tested as a chosen one of the Sennen Items." Shadi spoke.

"Please spare me! I won't tell a soul about this place!" Pegasus begged but Shadi didn't listen and instead reached for an item that was embedded into the tablet. Once he had one, he turned back to Pegasus and showed him the item he was to be tested by. "You will be tested by the Sennen Eye to see if you are worthy of being its host.

"Sennen Eye?"

"If you are deemed worthy to be its host, your deepest wish shall be granted." Shadi continued. _'A wish?' _Pegasus thought and believed that he had found what he was looking for. "We shall open the door to the other world and you will be able to see your beloved once more.

/"It was hard to believe...but I took the test of the Sennen Eye...and a miracle happened."/

/"I saw a light...all around me...and then I saw her...my dearest wish...but our reunion only last a moment."/

-End-

"...And the Sennen Eye accepted me." he finished and everyone was quiet. Yugi swiped a tear from his eye before he stood from the seat. There were no need for words as he left, Yami following behind him and the others leaving from the top balcony.

* * *

_'The mystery only grows deeper. Pegasus met Shadi in the Valley of the Kings and received the Eye but at a terrible cost...'_ Yami thought as he looked out into the distance from Yugi's room while the other was checking to make sure he had everything. _'There are eight Sennen Items...destined to gather together and be fitted into the tablet of the Pharaohs' memories in an underground shrine in Kul Elna...even the Sennen Puzzle, the prison that has entrapped me and Aqua for millennia.'_ Honda looked over to Yami from his seat. "Hey...you don't look all that thrilled about beating Pegasus..."

"Yeah, you didn't even gave him a penalty game or something. I shoulda just slugged him one for everything he put you and Yugi through." Jou added. "Now hold that thought, Jou. Now while Pegasus' actions are unforgivable, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him because of what he went through to get the Sennen Eye." Diamond spoke as she looked over to him. Yugi had everything before looking over to where Yami stood, He could feel the pondering thoughts of the demon's mind, mostly revolving around the hidden evil intelligence within the items. He too wondered about it, mostly on the case of whether it was the very intention of the items that gave Yami and Aqua their demonic power.

_'But in all truth, Yami couldn't punish Pegasus...that would be as if admitting that he was right. They're demons but that doesn't mean they want to be labeled as evil...'_ Yugi thought. Mokuba groaned as he opened his eyes and the others sighed with relief. "Good to see you awake, Mokuba." Myrrh said. He looked over to them and jumped, shying away from them and Diamond frowned. "Poor boy must be scared after being lost in the darkness for so long..." she murmured. Seeing that it was only Yugi's friends, he released the held breath as he moved to sit up and looked to them. "You guys..."

"It's alright. You're safe now. Yami beat Pegasus."

"Not just him but everyone did."

Mokuba nodded before hopping out of the bed. "But I can't just lie here! I have to get home and take care of Seto!" he said.

"Kaiba's here on the island." Mokuba stopped his shoving from the others and looked to Yami. "What?"

He nodded. "Yes. He came here in hopes to save you." Mokuba ran over to him, grabbing his shirt. "Wh-where...where is he?"

Down in the dungeons, Saruwatari went to the cell where Kaiba was, Ruby following close behind him. He pulled out a key to the cell and unlocked it before swinging the door open. "Come out, Seto. It's all over. You're free." Saruwatari mumbled before walking off. Kaiba gave a glance up, seeing Ruby there before looking down. After the way he acted, he didn't expect forgiveness from him. But he glanced back up again when he saw something peculiar. There, beside Ruby, was his child self. The vision smiled before pointing to the stairs leading out of the dungeon. He stood and walked out, following the child vision and Ruby followed, not saying a word.

* * *

A knock was heard at the door and Keara went to answer it. "Yes, what do you need?" she asked as she opened the door to Croquet. "Yes, is Yami still in?"

"Yes but he's preoccupied right now." Aqua said before stepping out and Keara closed the door to give them privacy. Croquet pulled out an envelope and handed it to Aqua. "Here's the prize, as promised." he said and he nodded, taking the envelope. "Also, can you return this to Kaiba. This contains his Duel Disk systems." He took the case and Croquet gave a sigh. "Do you want to know the reason behind why he was trying to take over Kaiba Corp?"

"Yes, that would be something to learn." Aqua replied.

Croquet gave a nod. "He was trying to take over Kaiba Corp just for what's in that briefcase. Kaiba Corp developed the virtual simulator that makes the cards appear in 3-D. But the Duel Disk's solid vision technology is even more realistic than holograms. They were so real that the monsters could be mistaken for living beings. Pegasus wanted that technology to make visions more and more lifelike." Croquet explained before walking off. "Perhaps Pegasus-sama will forever chase the illusions of his lost love." Aqua watched him go before sighing. "Guess he would..." he murmured before walking back into the room to see that everyone was ready to go and they all made their way out of the castle.

* * *

"Nii-sama..." Mokuba called as he looked around for his older brother. "Grrr, where is he!"

"We looked just about everywhere. Even Ruby went missing. He has to be somewhere around here." Myrrh murmured.

"That or maybe his soul was called to Heaven...or Hell." Jou muttered and Kaiser slapped him over the head. "What was that for?"

"Not the time to be making those kind of jokes, you dunce." he said before looking around. "And on the case of missing people, where did Ryou and Diamond run off to?"

"Maybe they're still in the castle..." Yugi answered. They all turned as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned to look to see who it was. Mokuba smiled brightly, dropping the case as he ran up to Kaiba and Ruby. "Nii-sama! Ruby-nii!" Mokuba cried. Kaiba gave a true, genuine smile as he caught his brother in his arms. "Mokuba..." he whispered as he hugged him close. The child vision smiled, holding a familiar orb in hand before disappearing. Yami saw this and smiled. "Guess Mokuba was the last piece to the puzzle of his heart..."

Jou sighed as he watched the tender moment. "Kaiba may be an asshole but seeing him being so brotherly for Mokuba...I just can't hate 'em..." Jou mumbled and Kaiser chuckled as he waved the envelope in front of him. "Well, at least you get to see the nice side of Kaiba for a change. Maybe if you two can change the attitude, you'll be able to see it more often. But for now, be happy that we have the money for sis's operation." he said. Jou nodded before looking over to Yami.

"Are you sure you don't mind us taking this?" he asked.

"I don't mind at all, Jou. I want your sister to be able to get the operation she needs so she can see again. Besides you were the real champion of this tournament." Honda gave a snort as he crossed his arms. "That's true...it's a miracle he was even able to make it to the finals on his own..." he muttered.

"Yeah, he definitely raised a couple levels in such short notice..." Myrrh added.

Jou walked over to Yami, planting a hand on his shoulder. "Yami, I owe you big time for this." he said and the demon smiled. "Jou, for us, the real test has just begun. Someday...until the day where you can claim victory from me...you can owe me one!" Jou laughed and nodded as he patted Yami's shoulder. "So, Jou-kun, what is the standing record between you and Yami?" Keara asked. Jou rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Well...starting from a week ago and including the stuff here at the kingdom...I've got 0 wins, 187 losses."

Myrrh and Honda groaned. "Oh man..."

"Looks like he still has a long way to go."

Yami watched as Honda made a witty retort, causing Jou to grab at him and trying to make him take it back with Myrrh getting in between them to stop them before they could slug each other. A hand slid into his and he looked down to Yugi. "Yami...no matter where you and Aqua came from, I'm happy for one thing. That you two are here with me and I'm happy to have this opportunity to be with you." he said as he looked over to his friends. "And I know they feel the same."

* * *

Inside the castle, an earth-shattering scream was heard as Pegasus fell to the floor, holding a hand over the eye socket where the Sennen Eye used to be. Crimson smirked, holding the item by the tips of his claws. "We should make you into a nice victory feast but we'll let you suffer instead. We got what we came here for." he said, tossing the bloodied item to Bakura who grabbed it and licked away the blood that covered it.

"Indeed. That makes three. Only five more to go." Bakura spoke before nodding to Crimson and the two left, Bakura pocketing the Eye and smirked as he heard the rushed footsteps of Pegasus' lackeys come in to help their fallen employer.

* * *

"Kaiba-san, take good care of Mokuba." Yugi said as he looked to the three brothers.

He nodded before looking to Yami. "Yami, I owe you for saving Mokuba but our battle isn't over just yet!" Kaiba spoke and he nodded. They turned and started walking off but Mokuba decided to be cheeky despite the others saving them. "Ha ha ha, nii-sama and I are flying back home in **_our _**private helicopter! Too bad _**you **_don't have one!" he teased and Jou growled. "Forget that I ever said he was a nice kid! He's still a rotten little brat!" he seethed.

"But that poses a good question. How will we get off the island?" Myrrh pointed out. "Hey guys!" Ryou called as he and Diamond came down the stairs. "Ryou! Diamond! Where were you two?" Yugi asked.

"Still in the castle but as we were coming out, I took a look out the window. Sadly, there's no boats left on the island." Diamond said.

"What? Then how are we getting home!" Jou demanded.

Mokuba looked back to them before looking up to Kaiba. "Nii-sama...can we give them a ride home? Surely Diamond and the others can't fly such a distance from here." Kaiba turned to looked down to him before looking to the group and growled. He wasn't looking forward to the trip with all of them packed into the helicopter and yet, he could probably make it out to his advantage by getting Jou into the passenger seat in the front.

* * *

At the edge of the island, Mai tossed a rock off the edge into the sea and cursed fluently. "How am I supposed to get home without a boat!" she exclaimed. She looked up, though, when she heard the whirl of a helicopter and saw it pass overhead. She jumped up quickly and started running after it. Inside, everyone was packed in pretty tight. Well, everyone except for Yami, Yugi and Aqua who decided to fly. Jou grumbled something to himself, being suckered into the front seat with Kaiba which made the older pleased. He didn't like the fact he was giving everyone else a ride but with Jou up front, it made the ride, to him at least, much more pleasant.

Mokuba looked to the others from where he was sitting on Ruby's lap. "You all better thank Nii-sama for giving you a ride!" he said. "We know, kiddo!" Honda said. "But man, it's tight in here! I'm sure this wasn't made for this many people!"

"Hush it up back there! Know that when we get back to Japan, we're even!" Kaiba hissed.

Outside, Yugi smiled as he felt the wind tussle his hair as he rode upon Yami's back. He heard someone yelling and looked down to see Mai running after the helicopter. "Aqua! Mai's still down there! Go help her!" Aqua looked to Yugi and nodded before diving down.

"Need a lift, Mai?" he called and she looked up before nodding. He held a hand out to her and she grabbed onto it, being swept off her feet and landed on his back before he took for higher air. "Thanks, Aqua. I thought I was going to be left behind."

"No worries." he said, chuckled softly as they followed behind the copter. Yugi glanced back to the island that held the Duelist Kingdom tournament and smiled.

_'Goodbye, Duelist kingdom!'_ he thought before looking out to the sunset. _'And hello to our next leg of the journey! We have a lead now. We're one step closer to learning about the truth behind the items and Yami and Aqua's past.'_

-End: Duelist Kingdom-

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. The end of the Duelist Kingdom arc. Yes, I know many people have been wondering about the future of this story since it hasn't been updated in ages but I haven't abandoned it. Things have been going slow for me in the story world for me. I'm not abandoning stories, just not getting the inspiration for ideas of new chapters as often as I do. But I work on them as the inspirations comes. But anywho, for those that have waited long enough, here's a new chapter. And for the next arc, I'm gonna need some help with finalizations. Went back through reviews and did a count on who wanted what. These are the results but in your reviews this time around, I want your final vote on which arcs you want to see in the upcoming chapters. Just list off which ones you want to see. I'll do a count and one I have the votes finalized, I'll start planning with the next chapter. [no doubt Legendary Heroes is a definite but I want to be sure on it so give me your votes to see if you all want to see this arc up next before Dungeon Dice]

Legendary Heroes - 6 [one vote questionable]

Noah's Virtual World - 7

Capsule Monsters - 4 [one vote questionable]

Doom/Doma - 5 [one vote questionable]

Grand Championship - 4

Well, I thank you all for reading and I shall see you another day with another chapter. See ya'll later.


	21. Virtual Adventure: Start!

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 21

* * *

After all the events that happened at Duelist Kingdom, everyone was happy to be backing Japan and getting back to their daily lives. But all wasn't so peaceful as Kaiba entered the executive office, Mokuba and Ruby behind him. There, the Big 5, also returning from their trip from the island, sat.

"Oh, Kaiba-sama. What a pleasant surprise." One spoke.

"Cut the chit-chat, you worm. I know all about your little scheme of trying to take over the company." Kaiba sneered.

"Yeah! Not only that but you nearly got me and nii-sama into big trouble! Did you really think you would get away with that!" Mokuba added. The men look like they were about to come up with a rebuttal but Ruby held up a hand. "For treason against your superiors and working with Pegasus, I hereby fire you all from this company. And if you know any better, I suggest you take those words to heart before you lose much more than your jobs." he spoke, eyes narrowed as he looked to them. The men were silent and Kaiba smirked. "Taking after me each day." he said and Ruby chuckled.

"Sure, but at least I'm not the one having love problems." Kaiba growled and he chuckled even more as he left the room. "What did he mean, nii-sama?"

"Nothing that you need to worry yourself about right now, Mokuba." he murmured as he followed behind the other. "W-wait, Kaiba-sama!" One called and he turned back to them. "What is it now?"

"We...we had no intention of taking over Kaiba corp. We teamed up with Pegasus in hopes to find a way to help you. He was the one that wanted the company and used us as that vice that would secure his claim should he make the best of his tournament." he spoke. "Besides, we needed your stamp of approval before we could distribute our latest product to the market, the virtual pod." Kaiba smirked and nodded. "So, you finally got off your lazy asses and got that into working order. Sounds good but don't think that means you're off the hook from telling me that." he said before he left out the room. Ruby stood by the door and looked to him.

"I sense something fishy. I swear to you those men are still loyal to Gozaburo and will do anything to change this company back into a military pit of success."

"Don't worry yourself, Ruby. If they know what's good for them, they will not test me again." Ruby sighed before nodding as he followed behind Kaiba, Mokuba running over and taking his hand as they walked. They took the elevator to the testing area where Kaiba's latest product await them. "Nii-sama...you just got back, shouldn't you rest or something?" Mokuba questioned.

"I should but I've waited too long for this moment."

"But what if it's a trap, like Ruby thinks it is? We don't want anything to happen to you." Kaiba looked down to his little brother. "Don't worry, Mokuba. I'm sure Ruby was working on each program during the incarceration I dealt with. With the Big 5 supposedly working with Pegasus the whole time gave them little chance to fiddle with the programs."

"But you don't know that for sure. They probably could've messed with them before they stole me away and Ruby went missing." he said in hopes to make his brother see before something could happen. But Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head as they reached the floor and left out the elevator. They entered in the room, Ruby turning on the lights before nodding to Kaiba as he walked over to the virtual pod. Mokuba sidled over to Ruby's side and looked up to him. "Why don't you stop him? Don't you have your suspicions about this whole thing, Ruby-nii?"

"I do but when your brother has his mind set to something, you can't really get him to stop." he said before walking over to Kaiba's side. "Alright, Ruby, I want you to keep watch over everything that goes on." he said as he sat down in the pod. "Whatever you say." he murmured. The pod was activated, the visor slipping over Kaiba's eyes as it got ready to connect him to the adventure game.

/Please insert dueling deck into the drive recognizer./ An automated voice spoke. He pulled out his deck and set it into the drive that opened. It closed and scanned it before confirming each card in the deck for Kaiba's use in the systems were in the green and Ruby sighed as he stood behind the control panel. "Are you ready, Kaiba?" he questioned. "Yes I am. Now start it up."

"Please, be careful, nii-sama..." Mokuba whispered as Ruby pulled the switch which activated the virtual system. As Kaiba's mind was transferred to the virtual world, Ruby watched everything to make sure that not even the slightest thing went wrong with the program. When the screen popped up, showing the location of the area where Kaiba appeared, he nodded. "All systems still in the green. No errors detected." he murmured. _'So far so good.'_

Within the virtual world, Kaiba looked around. "Everything seems to be in working order. Sounds, scenery, life point count. All checks. I knew Ruby wouldn't fail in making this program foolproof." he spoke before he started advancing through the wooded area. He stopped and smirked when the first monster encounter showed. It was a Two-headed King Rex. "Easy." he murmured as he drew a card and held it up. "Come forth, Blue Eyes. Use White Lightning!" The dragon appeared and eyes narrowed at his opponent, he unleashed the blast at the Twin-Headed King Rex, defeating it easily. "Hn, no match for me." he murmured before he heard rustling in the trees and saw an Armed Ninja coming at him.

"Armed Ninja? Surely he wasn't placed into the program!" he hissed as he readied himself for another attack except the odd thing was the monster threw a card out, revealing it to be Dragon Capture Jar. "Damn, Blue Eyes, hurry and take out that ninja!" he hollered and the Blue Eyes gave a roar as he aimed to attacked the monster although it was too late for the card activated, sending out the dragon oriented jar out and he gave an angered cry as he was sucked into the jar. "Blue Eyes, no!" he hissed. The monster landed before him and pulled out a net, capturing him. From outside, the changes were immediate as Kaiba cried out from the pod, scaring Mokuba as Ruby tried to get things under control.

"Shit...looks like I underestimated those spineless fools." he hissed and Mokuba looked up to him, scared. "Ruby-nii...what's going on? What happened?" he whimpered. When everything settled, Mokuba was the first to run out and check on Kaiba. The pod door opened and Mokuba touched Kaiba's shoulder lightly. "Nii-sama...are you alright?" he asked softly as Ruby moved to stand beside him. They both jumped when the doors shut and the emergency lockdown was activated, locking them inside.

"Your brother's obsession with technology has always been his greatest weakness. He just doesn't know when to quit before he gets himself in too deep." A voice spoke and Ruby growled as he looked around, trying to find out who was speaking to them. A screen lit up, showing one of the Big 5.

"What did you do to him?" Ruby hissed.

"What _I _did to him? Like I said, he loves technology so much, he doesn't know when he might put himself in danger with his own product. Now look at him. His mind is trapped within his own virtual realm thanks to a few technological details we put in ourselves." he said, smirking all the while. "And now that we have you both trapped, no one will be able to stop us from taking Kaiba corp." Another added before they all stared laughing at their misfortune as the screens shut off, their message delivered. "Shit...should've expected something like this but guess I was too blind to see that they still would make some attempt to fiddle around with my programming..." Ruby murmured. "But for now, we need to get out of here." he said as he looked down to Mokuba.

He nodded, grabbing Kaiba's deck while he was at it. Saruwatari and a few men ran down the hall to the virtual game room and entered the access code. Ruby heard this and ushered Mokuba over to where a ventilation shaft sat. Mokuba pocketed his brother's deck before holding on to Ruby as he unfurled his wings and flew up, opening the shaft with his claws and got Mokuba inside first before following him inside just as the door opened. "Where is that little brat..." Saruwatari muttered. "They both escaped, sir. Through the vents. They move pretty fast." One of the men murmured as he looked up to the open vent. "Damn..." he muttered before dialing the number to the office where the Big 5 awaited news.

"Sir, Mokuba and Ruby got away."

/What? Then go find them!/ he growled.

"No need to send anyone after them." the man next to him spoke.

"Why not?"

"It's Mokuba. He may have ran off but he would never leave his brother in this predicament. He will come back soon enough when he thinks the coast is clear and try to save his brother from the game. A scenario that I assure you will not happen easily. Not with our modifications." he said and the first smirked and nodded.

In the pouring rain, Ruby flew with Mokuba in his arms. This truly was a mess and only one group of people they knew well could help.

* * *

"Thanks gramps, just put it on my tab." Jou spoke.

"Jou, your tab's past due." Kaiser muttered.

"How do you know about that? Fine, put it on his tab!"

"Hey, don't drag me down with your money problems!"

They all looked up when they heard the bell over the door ring and two soaked forms walked into the game shop. "Everyone, we need your help, something happened to Kaiba." They looked to one another before Yugi ushered Ruby and Mokuba inside, Aqua going to fetch towels and Sugoroku heading into the kitchen to fix some tea. When they were settled, Yami asked what was going on. "Kaiba, he's trapped in a virtual game. The Big 5 reprogrammed my data to trap him inside. The only way that I know that will save him is to go inside the game and win."

"But how? If they reprogrammed it to keep Kaiba trapped, how do you expect us to win?" Jou questioned. Ruby chuckled and looked to him. "Is that worry I hear in your voice, Katsuya?" A flush spread across his cheeks as he shook his head defiantly. "N-no! What's your problem!" He chuckled again and shook his head. _'Maybe there is a chance for you, Kaiba. You just better change your attitude or else you'll lost this gem.'_ he thought. "There is a way. Even if the Big 5 got to the program, that doesn't mean your strength as a group won't falter. I trust in you all to be able to get through this. We need your help greatly for they are searching for me and Mokuba. If they capture us, it's the end of Kaiba corp."

Yami nodded. "Then we'll help. Are there anymore pods available that we can use to get into the game?"

"Yes, I know where they are." Mokuba murmured. Myrrh walked over and patted his head lightly. "Don't worry, we'll save your brother." she said with a soft smile and he looked up to them before smiling. "Thanks. Even with how I was when we first met, I'm glad you all came to trust me." he whispered.

"What you did before is a thing of the past. As long as you've changed, there is room for forgiveness." Aqua spoke before everyone decided on who was going and who stayed. With that settled, Yami and Aqua flew off, Yugi in Yami's arms, Kaiser holding on to Jou, Honda on Aqua's back and Ruby carrying Mokuba once more, taking the lead. Myrrh waved to them as she stood beside Sugoroku. "I hope they'll be alright..." she murmured.

"I'm sure they will, Myrrh. I'm sure with Yami and Aqua on their side, who have been through worse scraps, they'll make it through this." he said before he walked inside with her to wait for them to come back.

* * *

"Here it is. My brother's personal laboratory. He hates it when someone messes around with it but I would still sneak in here all the time since Ruby always keeps it a secret." Mokuba said and Ruby smiled as they continued on, knowing that eventually, he and Kaiser will have to land to prevent their wings from becoming waterlogged. They finally landed in front of one of Kaiba's secret project buildings and went inside, ducking under the keep out barrier and headed into another room. "Here they are." he said as he turned on the lights, revealing three more prototype pods to the virtual adventure game. After making sure his wings wouldn't drip water anymore, Ruby moved to the control panel and started it up before nodding. "I have everything under control here. Now who's going in?"

"I'm definitely going." Mokuba said.

"And I'm going in since I'm sure we'll need both Yami and Aqua for this." Yugi pointed out and they nodded before disappearing back into the puzzle.

"Well, only one pod left. I say Honda and Kaiser stays behind." Jou joked. Kaiser smirked and nodded. "Fine by us."

"Wha..."

"Why not, gives you more time to get closer to Kaiba." Kaiser jeered and Jou's face turned red. With anger or embarrassment, we will never know.

"Dammit, Kaiser! I'm not in love with that bastard!"

"But he's in love with you. Maybe if you show you have some interest in him, he may just let up on the insults of you being a loser and second rate duelist." he said as he walked over to the panel where Ruby stood. "Look at me. Ruby could be just as bad as Kaiba and I love him." he pointed out as he kissed the other's cheek. Jou growled before throwing up his hands. "Alright! I'll give him one chance. Count with me, **_one_**! If he doesn't polish up his act when we find him in this game, I will never give him another chance **ever**! Mokuba and Ruby, you're my witnesses to this! If he screws up and asks you, you'll know why!" he said. Honda clapped.

"Nice speech. Now how about you get going so you can admit your undying love to him." he said before he was caught in a headlock by Jou. "How about I scramble that brain of yours?"

"Well, I wouldn't be spending my time beating around the bush. Just tell him and maybe you might make him a little nicer."

"Like hell I'll be able to accomplish that!"

"Whenever you two are done, can we get on with this before we possibly lose my brother for good." Mokuba murmured and Jou nodded as he released Honda and shoved him away before nodding. "Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with before I change my mind about this entire thing." Mokuba and Yugi nodded before climbing into the open pods and the door lowered. "Alright. Virtual system upload." Ruby whispered as he pulled the switch and no more than a minute before all three were in the game.

But this didn't go unnoticed by the Big 5. "Ah, the Kaiba Land building. Just like I thought. Mokuba and Ruby came back to try and save Kaiba from the game." One of them spoke. "But the problem is they brought Yugi and his little friends along."

"No matter. Once Saruwatari gets down there and unplugs the pods, they'll have no way of coming back. None of them will be saved and that just gets another problem out of our way."

* * *

Zypher: Well, that's all I have for you today. Majority of your readers say you want to see the Legendary Heroes so Legendary Heroes is what you getting with a little progress on some Seto/Jou and Ruby/Kaiser since I know you all might come at me with pitchforks and torches if I don't get Seto and Jou to first base. But I'll let you in on a little secret. You'll know when I'm getting somewhere when you see Kaiba switch to Seto. Now, next order of business. -tosses out various notes- Ah! Here we are! For the Dungeon Dice segment, I've actually realized there are two different version between manga and anime. -slaps forehead- So I'm giving you readers a choice again and I need everyone's input so I know whether I need to hunt for episodes or go by manga.

Manga ver: Otogi's father makes an appearance in here, challenging Yugi to a dangerous game of Devil's Board which was the very same game that he played years ago with Sugoroku, losing against him and suffered the consequences for it. There is still a segment where Otogi challenges Yugi to Dungeon Dice in attempts to claim the power of the puzzle for his father. [and note, in this version, in a way, the father challenging Yugi is like Keith under control of Malik cause it does contain a fire, the puzzle being pinned to a surface and Jou and Honda coming to the rescue]

Anime ver: [for everyone who can't remember] Otogi new guy in school, plays Jou for a fool, challenges him to Duel Monsters, Jou loses, has to do everything he says [and with me rewriting it my way, you know what's going to happen -evil grin-] Yami gets angry, challenges Otogi, Otogi suggest Dungeon Dice. And battle happens, becomes friends, simple summary. And if I do write this version, I will also have to add in the battle with Keith which is the introduction to Malik while in the manga, the battle never happened and they went straight to Battle City]

And for those that haven't read the manga version of the Dungeon Dice duel, that has much more danger compared to the anime. Otogi's father get a little crazy over claiming the power and when you mix that up with the fact that gaining the power of the puzzle means you're getting the powers of demons, makes it much more entertaining. Not saying you have to choose it, I'll do either version but when it comes to 4kids chopping up a perfectly good anime, you might feel as if you get a little more action with reading the manga. But botched or not, Yugioh is still awesome and I still love it. If I didn't watch the anime first, you wouldn't be seeing me here with all these awesome stories and characters that you grown to love. Well, that's all for this extremely long author's note. I'll see you soon with another chapter.

-walks out but then comes back- And last little note, I kinda forgot that after Duelist Kingdom, anime-wise, there was that itty bitty battle that introduced Rebecca who becomes needed later on in Doom Saga [if everyone is still looking forward to that]. Only reason I forgot since in the anime, Yugi gained the Ties of Friendship card from Pegasus since he never died and that was given to Rebecca to make up for the torn Blue Eyes that was give to Sugoroku from Arthur. Neither Rebecca nor Arthur makes an appearance in the manga which is why Rebecca kinda flew outta sight, outta mind. So, if you all think we should add her in, just tell me so. And yes, she still be the simpering little girl trying to vye for Yugi's attention which she'll never get much of once Yami and Aqua become involved. Now I'm officially gone since this note is about to become a story in itself -chuckles before running off-. See ya soon!


	22. Virtual Adventure: First Task

Current Dungeon Dice Vote status:

Manga: 2

Anime: 2 with one questionable vote.

Still need votes to come in on which version you want. This section will probably be another one or two chapters depending on where I stop episode-wise so we need those votes in. But for now, enjoy another action packed chapter of Yami no Game.

* * *

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 22

* * *

"Well, at least I'm glad we have our dueling decks but I'm a little worried about the life point counter. I mean, its common sense to know what'll happen when your lose a life in a video game but what will happen to us here when we lose all our life points." Yugi murmured as they walked through the forested area where Kaiba was last seen.

"Yeah, no kidding..." Jou muttered as they came up to a cliff that overlooked a graveyard. They knew they had to venture through it to get anywhere and steeled themselves for what's to come before heading down.

"It's still hard to believe this is all virtual and not real."

"Yeah, Ruby-nii really outdone himself with the programming." Mokuba murmured.

"Yeah...looks plenty real to me." Jou added, hating the memories that came back to him the last time he had to deal with a graveyard setting. As they walk, it wasn't long before they heard something and turned to the disturbance. A crack appeared across the ground before a monster started to emerge. Armored Zombie came from the ground, Dragon Zombie and Clown Zombie coming in as reinforcement. "Oh hell...what do we do now?" Jou said, panicking. As a typical gamer, he was used to having some sort of weapon to fight with and right now, that was not given when they started the game. He then realized something.

"Wait, these guys are noting much Duel Monsters." he murmured and them smirked. "So if I draw a card..." He drew a card from his deck as the monsters starting charging for them. He blinked for a moment. "And now I don't know what to do next." Both Yugi and Mokuba gave an exasperated sigh before Mokuba stepped up. "Let me show you how it's done." he said as he drew a card and held it up. "I summon Rude Kaiser!" Yugi nodded, getting what they had to do, and drew a card as well. "And I call upon Black Magician!" They both appeared and easily took out the zombie monsters easily.

"Ah, so that's how it's done." Jou murmured.

But as quickly as they disappeared, the came back. "Crud! They're back! Let me take care of this." Jou said as he pulled out a card. "I summon Flame Swordsman. Attack with Toki Enzan Ken!" The monster went in to attack but then Yugi saw something wrong. The zombie monsters' attack rose and his eyes widened. "Jou, wait! Stop Flame Swordsman's attack!" he called and Jou looked back to Yugi in wonder just as Flame Swordsman sliced Dragon Zombie. And like before, it came back with even more attack points. "Damnit! Each time we kill these zombies, they come back with even more attack power." he hissed as Flame Swordsman was destroyed before he could retaliate.

"That's true but remember, they have one fragile weakness. You dealt with this before, Jou. Remember?" Yugi said and Jou rattled his brain. _'Oh yeah! That battle with Kozuka! He used these very same monsters!'_ he thought and grinned. "I got this!" he said, drawing the card needed and held it up. "I use Shield and Sword! Time to mix up your attack and defense, you zombie losers!" he called as the monsters' attack and defense switched, leaving them vulnerable. "They're all yours!"

"You got it! Go Black Magician! Black Magic attack!" The magician appeared behind Yugi and finished off the monsters for good. In the wake of the monsters' defeat, a card appeared on the ground. "Hey, Yugi, look at this." Mokuba said as he picked up the card. "I wonder what they are?"

"Looks like it might be part of scoring system or maybe even the currency of the game."

"I go with that option." Mokuba agreed as he walked over to him. Jou looked at his counter and groaned. "My life points aren't going back up. Looks like this game is playing for keeps." he said. "Well, that ain't good." Mokuba murmured. They heard a tiny giggle and looked over to one of the tombstones where a tiny fairy appeared. She giggled again before ducking away. "What is that thing?"

"Hey, it must be one of those faeries they put in the game to help the players." Jou confirmed. The fairy giggled once more before flying off. "Hey, there it goes! Let's follow it!" he called and they nodded as they ran after the fairy. The fairy was quick and soon enough, they lost track of it as they reach a cliff side. "Damn, that's one slippery little sprite." Jou muttered. Mokuba looked around before seeing something in the distance. "Well, we may have lost it but I think I found out what it was trying to show us. Look over there." he said, pointing out to what he saw. Yugi and Jou came walking over and were amazed. "Look at that. It's a town. Maybe we should get down there and collect some information." Yugi suggested.

"Yeah but the problem is getting down there."

"Maybe Yami and Aqua could help." Yugi nodded in agreement and called them out from their soul room. They appeared beside Yugi and looked down to him. "Need something, little one?"

"Mind giving us a lift? We want to see that town down there." Yami nodded and picked up Yugi before taking off, Aqua right behind him with Jou and Mokuba. When they reached the town, they landed on the outskirts so Yami could tuck away his wings before heading inside. They looked around, Jou becoming a little squeamish at what some of the booths held. "Man, I'm glad I ate before we came in here." he said as he looked to a booth that had dried lizards hanging there. "Hey, Jou! Come take a look at this!" Yugi called.

He ran over to where they stood and gaped when he saw some cards. "Whoa! These look awesome! We'll take 'em!" he said happily. "Um...I don't think it works that way." Mokuba pointed out.

"Eh?" he mumbled before looking down, seeing there was a price for the cards. "2000 points? Man, surely we made that much fighting those zombies, right!" he questioned as he looked to them. Yugi shook his head. "No, we only got five points from them." Yugi said and Jou groaned, ruffling his hair. "Come on, Jou, let's concentrate on finding nii-sama first." He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Since we do have this whole plan thing going on still." he mumbled and they nodded.

"I suggest we split up and get some information. Surely if Kaiba was stolen, it's a possibility that whoever the culprit was has been seen by the townspeople."

"Alright then! Let's comb the town and look through every street!" Mokuba said cheerfully and they all nodded before heading off. They asked all around, even doing mundane tasks in exchange for anything. When they did all they could, Yugi, Aqua and Yami were the first back at the fountain at the center of town. "Find anything?" Aqua asked.

"Not a clue." Yugi murmured before looking up, seeing Jou coming their way. "Any leads, Jou?"

"Naw but I do hate virtual dogs." he grumbled, a dog clamped on tight to his pants leg. He shook off the dog and it soon ran off. "Good riddance."

"Hey guys! I got a lead!" Mokuba called as he ran over to them. "What did you find out, Mokuba?" Aqua asked.

"A woman I help out today said that she saw a man come by with a prisoner this morning." he said, pointing over to the mountains in the distance. "Supposedly there's an ancient temple at the top and the prisoner was being taken there. To get there, we need to cross this desert." he said. Aqua nodded. "Well, we've been through deserts before. We shouldn't have no problem getting through." Aqua said as he moved down to all fours. "Climb aboard, Mokuba. Jounouchi." They nodded and climbed onto his back, Yami carrying Yugi and both started into the desert. Not too long after being in there, they were slowed by a sandstorm that was brewing. "I have to hand it to Ruby, virtual sand tastes like real sand." Jou muttered as he covered his mouth and face with his arm.

"Maybe we should turn back!" Yugi said as he looked up to Yami. "We can't! We have to get to that temple and save nii-sama!" Mokuba pleaded.

"Looks like we won't be getting far!" Aqua hissed as he saw a sand twister coming their way. "Hold on!" he cried as the twister engulfed them.

* * *

"...ugi...Yugi, wake up. We're alright." Jou's voice rang through his hazy mind. He groaned softly as he regained awareness and sat up. "Where are we?" he asked.

"We're back in town. Looks like the twister carried us back but Mokuba's not looking too hot, though." he said, looking over to where Mokuba sat, head lowered. Aqua sat beside him, a comforting wing wrapped around him. A raucous laugh was heard was heard and both looked up to see an old man sitting there.

"Well that surely ain't no way to cross no desert!" he said.

"Really? Then do you know a way?" Jou question as he and Yugi ran over to him.

"I don't know any way except for them desert crossing Niwatori chickens." Jou looked clueless for a moment before his eyes glimmered with a thought. "Hey, you mean the Niwatori card, don'cha?"

"Sounds like it." Yami said from behind him, making him jump. "Where'd you come from!"

He chuckled softly. "I went to take another look around town to get some information about crossing the desert. Everyone says the same thing but nothing else. We need the Niwatori card." he said.

"Well, that was a bust." Jou grumbled.

"Maybe we should take a look at the card stands." Mokuba said as he walked over to them with Aqua right beside him. "There are plenty of stands around town. So maybe we'll get lucky and find that card." Yugi nodded in agreement. "It's worth a shot." he said before they all headed back into town to start search through card stands.

* * *

Outside the building where they were, Saruwatari and his men stood. "Here it is. Kaiba's private lab. Now all that's left to do is pull the plug and it's game over for them." he said as they walked inside.

"They've been gone for a while. I hope they're alright." Honda said as he looked over to Ruby. "I'm sure they'll be fine. With Mokuba there, they should have no problems."

"Yeah. And with Jou there, they're sure to find Kaiba. I remember when I was still living with him, he played a game for three days straight without blinking or nothing. At least until I dumped a glass of cold water on him. Then I had to run but it wasn't long before he conked out from sleep deprivation." Kaiser said with a chuckle.

"Really? Then I need to remember that for blackmail." Honda said with a laugh. They waited in silence for a moment longer before Honda looked to them both. "Hey, I got an idea that will make this waiting go faster. A game called guess my facial hair." They both looked to him as if he grown a second head. "Really? I'll pass." Kaiser muttered.

"Aw, come on. Don't tell me you didn't notice my fine beard growing in. I have like eight whiskers now! Take a feel!" he urged.

"How about you take a nap somewhere." he growled before his ears flicked a little. "Wait shut up for a second." he whispered. "Do you hear that?" Ruby listened closely before moving over to the door and opened it. "Shit, it Saruwatari and some men are here. Looks like the Big 5 is trying to end the game for Yugi and the others." Ruby said as he closed and locked the door. "Honda, Kaiser, help me barricade this door. I'm not letting the Big 5 win." They nodded and gathered any heavy, loose items to start barricading the door.

_'When we get Kaiba out of this...I'll make sure Yami and Aqua tear you all apart...'_ he thought venomously as he went back to the control panel.

* * *

Again, they all met at the fountain with no luck in finding the card. "Man, we check every stand and no sign of that card." Mokuba muttered as he sat down on the ledge of the fountain. "That bird must be some rare card then." Jou added. "Rare card..." Aqua murmured. "Wait...I think I have an idea." He ran off and curious, Yugi followed. It wasn't long before everyone else was with him. "It was only a glance but looks like this might be the only way." he said as he let them view the sign. Yugi looked at the sign.

"You're right. It's an announcement for a contest and the prize is the Niwatori card."

"Fame, glory and the prized Niwatori card. All this shall be awarded to the warrior that is able to defeat our champion. Signed the grand battle chief and combat outfitter of Shadow Coliseum." Mokuba read then looked to the others. "Sweet, let's sign up! I always wanted to be a warrior!" Jou said enthusiastically.

And so they walked towards the coliseum on the far side of town. when they got there, they told the wart ridden man that one of them was going to enter the tournament. "So one of you want to enter into the tournament. I dunno." The toad man said as he looked to them. "This town takes its gladiator matches seriously. But if it's a shot at the champion you desire..." he continued as he gazed at the fly buzzing around them. "Excuse me a moment..." They all jumped as the toad grabbed the fly and ate it before he continued on. "Well, don't let me stand in your way." he said as he pulled out something from under the counter and held it out to them. "Here is your battle mask and combat cape."

Yugi took the outfit as the toad got up from his seat. "Is this all really necessary?" Aqua questioned.

"Well of course. If you're going to lose all your life points then why not lose them looking like a hero." The toad pointed out. Yugi looked to the outfit once more before Jou walked over to him.

"Let me have stuff, Yugi. I don't want you to lose all your life points fighting this champion."

"But Jou, you're already lower than the rest of us. If you lose, who know what'll happen to you." Yugi pleaded. "Yeah I know. I'll just be extra careful." he said, taking the cape and mask. "Then again, that champ better watch out once he sees my moves in action." he said with a grin. "But if I do lose here, pass on the message to Kaiba that I'm giving him one chance with me but if he screws it up, it's over."

They nodded and Mokuba smiled a little. "Thanks, Jou. I'll make sure to pass it on."

"Forget about it. I always did want to be a hero." he said before leaving out the room behind the toad man, slipping on the cape and mask.

* * *

Cheering was heard from the stands as people got settled and ready to watch the match against the champion and the challenger. "Ladies and gentlemen! We have finally found a brave soul ready to take on our champion! I present to you the picture of pugnacity, the pig that packs a punch! Introducing Senior Porky!"

"Looks more like Senior Dorky to me!"

"Yeah! The champ's gonna wipe the floor what that guy!"

_'Well, it's better than being called a dog by Kaiba.'_ Jou thought as he walked into the arena.

"Come on, Jou! You can win this!" Yugi called from the stands.

"And now, introducing our undefeated champ; the monarch of mayhem, the queen of mean, Madam Butterfly!" The toad man called as the other adversary came out from the other side of the arena on a chair hefted up by four men. _'Whoa, the champ's a chick!'_ he thought. Behind the mask, the champ smirked as she jumped from her seat, laughing all the while.

_'Oh man, this chick's looks like she ready to rumble!'_ Jou thought, now a little worried that he won't be able to win this battle as he hoped.

* * *

Zypher: And that's it for another chapter. Probably only one or two more chapters to this segment and as such, we still need those votes in so if you haven't voted yet for the manga or anime version of Dungeon Dice, please vote now. The tally so far is up at the top and I thank Red Dragon of Egypt, Phoenix Takaramono, fanfictionlove23, and the questionable vote from SilverPurity [and I do agree, the dog suit has to go so if the anime version does win this little poll, there will be changes for that outfit that will please the readers because we all know with Otogi, he would be much more devious if given the chance with that bet -evil grin-] but all in all, hoped you enjoyed and will be eagerly waiting for the next chapter. Also, there will be a poll up about the Doom Saga that will end next week Wednesday [since I'll be gone for the weekend at a con] so I know whether I need to mention Rebecca somewhere in later chapters before it comes up. Put in your votes there too everyone!


	23. Virtual Adventure: Final Dungeon Appears

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 23

* * *

"Ready or not, here we come!" Saruwatari called as two of the men start to ram the door. Kaiser and Honda started moving what they could to block the door before holding them in place to make sure they didn't get the chance to get in. Ruby watched and gave a sigh as he looked to the pods. _'Hurry up, you three. We might not be able to hold them back for long...'_ he thought.

Back in the virtual world, Jou was facing off the town's champion, Madam Butterfly. She smirked as she gazed upon her opponent. "I knew men were dirty like pigs but I didn't know they would dress the part as well." she said with a chuckle. Jou groaned from under the mask. _'Man, there's one only person I know that could be this annoying...'_ he thought. "You know what I liked about butterflies...they don't talk smack!" he growled.

"Ooooh, a little feisty piggy you are. Well let's just see how feisty you are in battle."

"Let's Duel!" they both called. Jou drew his card and smirked. "Time to clip your wings! I summon Flame Swordsman!" he called as the warrior appeared onto the field. Madam Butterfly smirked before she drew her card. "A nice start. But I think I have the perfect girl for you. Come on out, Harpie Lady!" The femme avian appeared onto the field, smirking as she gazed at her target. _'Harpie Lady, huh? Now there's a card I definitely seen before. Ah well, the swordsman will take care of her.'_ he thought as Flame Swordsman ran at the other, ready to fight.

"So gullible. I activate my trap, Mirror Wall!" she called. The wall appeared before her monster and Flame Swordsman gave a hiss as his attack rebounded on him, causing him to skid back with his attack falling to 900. "Wait, I know that combo! Only one person uses it!" he whispered to himself as Madam Butterfly laughed again.

"Now, you swine, its time for you to get slaughtered!" she said as she drew another card. _'That's it! I know only one duelist who could be this annoying in five minutes!'_ Jou thought with a growl. "I knew it." Yami murmured. "Knew what?" Yugi questioned as he looked up to him. "Just keep watching."

"Time for the big finale!" she said as she activated the card. "Rose Whip attack! Show that swordsman who's the real warrior here!"

"Hold on!" Jou called as he removed the mask as the whip came flying at his swordsman. She gasped lightly before calling to her monster to stop her attack. "Jounouchi? Is that really you?" she asked as she removed her own mask. "That was Mai?" Yugi said in surprised. "Indeed it was." Yami replied as Yugi hopped over the wall down to the arena, Mokuba, Yami and Aqua right behind him. "Mokuba? Yugi? Yami and Aqua? What are you all doing here?"

"My brother was trapped in this game and we're here to save him but what are you doing here?"

"Well...some suits from Kaiba corp hired me to test out the game." she told them. Jou nodded. "Well that explains that but you might be in serious danger, Mai. Those suits took Kaiba and imprisoned him in a temple across the desert. We need that Niwatori card to get there." he explained. "And that's the prize for this match..." she murmured. They didn't get the chance to speak more as the crowd started to get rowdy, wanting the match to continue.

"Oh man...this crowd may be virtual but they look pretty pissed."

"Then let's get the card and get out of here. Harpie Lady, Rose Whip!" Mai called, pointing towards the card. She nodded and flicked the whip, grabbing the card and bringing it back. "Got it!"

"No, the Niwatori card!" The toad exclaimed. The group started running off, Jou tossing the pig mask and cape, Mai doing the same. "Pick up the pace guys!" Aqua called as the angry villagers started coming after them. "Alright! It's time for some ground control!" Jou said as he stopped and turned, drawing a card. "Trap Hole!"

In the villagers' path, a gaping hole appeared, preventing them from crossing. "By the time they get past that, we'll be long crossed the desert!" he said triumphantly as he caught up with the others as they reached the outskirts of town. They looked out to the looming desert before Yami looked to Mai. "If you would do the honors." She nodded, holding up the card and four Niwatori chickens appeared before them. Yami and Aqua stepped back before returning back to their soul room. They mounted the chickens and were soon off into the desert. "So Mai, you're telling me that Kaiba corp paid you to test out this game?"

"Pretty much."

"Wonder why?"

"It might've been to make sure that this would go all according to plan before my brother tested it." Mokuba suggested and Yugi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I agree but they probably weren't factoring the chances of us coming in or else they would've barred the lab from entry." he pointed out. Soon, the ground started to rattle beneath them. "What going on?"

"It must be another obstacle programmed into the game!" Yugi cried as a fissure tore the ground and vines shot up from the dark recesses. The monster roared as it appear. "It's a Sandstone monster!" Jou cried out as the Niwatori started panicking a little. "Alright! Time to tip over this sandcastle!" he said as he drew a card. "I call out the Red Eyes Black Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon appeared, steam rising up from her jaws before charging up her attack and released it at the weak monster, taking it out easily before returning back to the card. "And that's that." With the monster gone, the storm around them started fading and soon, the location they needed to get to appeared before them.

"Hey look! It's some sort of temple!" Mokuba called.

"I see. Is that where we're heading?" Mai questioned. Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah. An old lady in town told me that my brother was taken to a temple across the desert so that must be it." She nodded before they all urged the Niwatori on. When they reached the place, it definitely looked grander than it did from far away. "Shoot! This is one swanky place!" Jou commented as they arrived. As soon as the Niwatori stopped, Mokuba was off and running towards the temple. "Hey, Mokuba, wait!" Yugi called.

"Man, that kid just doesn't stop. Well, we better catch him before we lose them both." Jou muttered as they climbed off their mounts and went inside after Mokuba. Bats chattered as they flew through the dark cavern they walked through. "Huh, this place looks like it seen better days."

"Yeah, it's really creepy."

"Yeah, best we stick together." Yugi murmured as they came up to a large door. "Allow me." Jou offered as he walked up and pushed the doors open and walked inside. They stepped back at the next obstacles to hinder them. "It's a labyrinth dungeon! It's almost like the time Yami and I dueled them weirdo Paradox Brothers." But their shock didn't last long as the door slammed closed behind them and Jou ran back in hoped to find a way to open them. "Shit, there's no way out!"

"It would do us no good anyway. We won't finish the game retracing our steps." Yugi murmured as he look to the matter at hand. "So we have to go through the maze if we're ever going to find Kaiba..." he murmured. A scream was heard from deeper in the maze, catching their attention. "Someone's in trouble." Jou nodded before shoving past the others. "I'm on it!" Mai huffed when he shoved past her. "Hey, watch it! Sheesh, that doofus would do anything to meet a girl. Guess he knows I was just way out of his league."

"I'll say..." Mokuba murmured before turning as he heard something smash through the walls of the labyrinth and gasped as a Labyrinth Tank came charging out. "Watch it, it's a Labyrinth Tank!" Yugi called.

"Let's get moving!" Mokuba cried as they ran into the maze, Jou looking left and right for the best way to go. "Jou! We gotta go now!" Yugi called and he turned back and saw what was chasing them before taking the left path along with the others only to be halted as another Labyrinth Tank came out. Skidding to a halt, they backtracked in hopes to go the other way only to meet the same. "We're boxed in!" Mai said in horror.

"Ok, anyone have a plan?" Jou questioned.

"We get past those tanks."

"Got a plan B?" he asked as the Labyrinth Tanks' eyes started to glow. "Because we need one fast or we're going have more holes in us than Swiss cheese."

"I'll use Magical Hats!" Yugi said as he used the card and a hat dropped over them just in time to switch their positions as the tanks made their attack. "Man I love that trick! Now let's get moving." Jou said as the hat they were now under started moving. "Ouch, Jou! That was my foot!" Mai hissed as the hat dispersed. "Looks like we're in the clear." Yugi murmured before heading the sounds of the tanks moving from their spot, now in search of them. "We need to move and fast! The tanks are making their move." A fairy came flying in and Yugi looked up. "Hey guys, look. It's another fairy, just like the one Mokuba, Jou and I saw earlier." The fairy giggled as she waved to them.

"Looks like she wants us to follow her." Yugi said.

"I'm game. Let's go." Mai answered. They followed the tiny fairy until the voice from before sounded as the fairy stopped before a girl that eerily looked like Mokuba. "Iru, you've returned." she greeted before looking to the others that followed her. "Whoa, Mokuba, that fairy turned ya into a girl!" Jou commented. Mokuba snorted as he came up beside him. "Really? Can she make you smart as well?" he questioned haughtily. "They look like they could be twins, though." Mai pointed out.

"So, can ya get us outta this rat trap?" Jou asked and the girl shook her head. "No. Iru, my guide, and I are lost too." she murmured. They sighed but the girl calmed them. "We may be lost but Iru will find a way out for us." she said and that lifted their spirits as they followed the tiny fairy. "Hey, I see the exit!"

"Me too! We're home free!" Jou called as they finally got out the maze only to be stopped by Gate Guardian. "Did I say home free? I mean in deep trouble!"

"I can think of anything strong enough to take him down! He'll destroy us in one attack!" Mai said, worried.

"Those suits at Kaiba corp. musta put him in to stop us!" Jou said. "Don't worry! If we work together, we can take on anything." Yugi said as the hulking monster stepped forward, ready to make its attack. "Good thinking, Yugi. So let's get this show started. I'll combine my Red Eyes..."

"And my Summoned Skull..."

"Fused them together with the power of Polymerization to create the Black Skull Dragon!" they both called as the dragon appeared before them. "Nice effort, guys, but that guardian still has more attack points compared to him." Mai said. "Man, I hate this! Everything is rigged against us!"

"Not yet it isn't! I still have my Dragon Nails card which will give our dragon an extra 700 attack points. Just enough to get rid of that guardian once and for all!" he said as the weapon was equipped onto the dragon, bumping his attack up from 3200 to 3900. "Now go! Molten Fireball!" he called and the dragon gave another roar before letting lose the attack, destroying the guardian. "You all are so very strong. Just like the heroes of legend." the girl spoke one more.

"Oh, it was nothing." Jou said, grinning.

"Heroes of legend?" Yugi murmured, mulling over the thought until they heard voices coming down from the direction there were heading. Once they were in view, the girl smiled. "Grandma!" The elderly lady smiled. "My lady, we were worried sick about you." she said before spotting the others behind her. "Oh, and it seems you made some new friends."

Yes, they are the bravest warrior I ever did see. They saved me from this place. As thanks, I would like to invite them to the palace." she said and the woman nodded.

"Sure. We shall leave right away."

* * *

In the bubbling pits of the unknown, high above on a platform did Kaiba, tied up to a slab of rock, wake up from his daze, disoriented and trying to figure out what was going on. "Where...am I?" he questioned.

"You're here with me, Seto Kaiba." A voice whispered as a figure appeared out of the ground, revealing it to be a monster. "Witty Phantom? You took me as a prisoner in my own game?"

"Why yes, Kaiba."

"Then release me now."

The phantom tsked. "You're late to the party, Kaiba. This world is no longer yours to command. The program has been completely rewritten." Kaiba snorted. "Never did like parties." he muttered. "Such a shame. You're the guest of honor. You see, you're going to be our offering to the Mythic Dragon! So until then, your misery shall be in my capable hands." Kaiba growled in anger. Enough was enough for him. "That's it. Override protocol. End this simulation." The phantom laughed at his attempt. "Don't you see. This game is out of your hands now. All of Ruby's little safety precautions are a thing of the past. Now if you'll excuse me, there is so much work to do before the other offering is brought to us."

"Another offering?" Kaiba murmured as the monster walked off, disappearing soon after.

* * *

Once they were out of the labyrinth cavern, they climbed into carriages that awaited them outside and were on their way. "After everything we've been through, I like this part of the game." Jou said. "Yeah, that Edina sure knows how to ride in high style." Mai spoke. "I agree. Mokuba, you should feel honored that Kaiba and Ruby based such an awesome character after you." Yugi said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. 'My Lady'." Jou joked and Mokuba hit him in his arm. "Hey guys, look at this!" Yugi called and they all looked out the window to the castle town that they were heading. "Oh, sweet! I hope they have food in this game!"

"I just hope they can help us. We need to find nii-sama before it's too late." Mokuba murmured. As they reached the castle, they left the carriages and were amazed as they headed in along with Edina. Iru floated down, nestling into Yugi's hair and he smiled. Edina turned and chuckled softly. "Seems Iru has taken a liking to you." she said and Yugi looked over to her. "Is this your palace?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes. I am the princess of this land. Princess Edina." They were taken aback by that but soon followed her inside where they were treated to dinner. Enticed by the spread, it didn't take long before Jou was stuffing his face.

"Everyone, please keep all hands and feet away from Jou's mouth." Mai muttered, a little disgusted by his table manners. He sat up, pausing for a moment as he choked just a little, catching Mai's attention as she asked if he was alright. "Yeah, I'm fine. Happens all the time." he said, chuckling slightly. "Disgusting..."

Mokuba looked over to Edina. "Hey Edina, have you heard any news of my brother?" he asked. She looked down solemnly. "Well, I didn't want to say anything but you deserve to know. People often disappear when the time for the offerings have arrived." she murmured.

"Offerings?"

"Yes. Every year around this time offerings are collected from this and another kingdom to bring back the Mythic Dragon."

"The Mythic Dragon, huh?" Yugi hummed. Edina nodded. "And we just got word that the other kingdom has made their offering. A stranger from a distant land." Mokuba stood at this. "That must be my brother! Please, you have to tell me where he is!"

"He was taken to a dark castle floating in the sky." she spoke. "A dark castle?"

"Why does that sounds familiar to me?" Jou pondered. "It must be the Castle of Dark Illusions." Yugi said as he looked to him. Jou nodded in agreement. Edina pointed over to a painting that hung on the wall. "That painting tells the tale. Long ago, a man escaped that dreaded castle on a flying machine and hid it on these lands a thousand years ago but his ship was never found and there's no other way recorded in history of how to reach the castle." she explained.

"We could fly up there on Jou's dragon." Mai suggested.

"It can't be done. A magic barrier protects the castle from monsters entering it." Edina spoke. Mokuba frowned and looked to the table. "Mokuba, don't worry. Just keep telling yourself that this is all just a game." she whispered but noticed she caught Edina and her grandmother's attention as well. "I-I mean life a game! But back to the matter at hand. What are you going to do about your kingdom's offering?" Edina looked down. "We have already chosen...it is to be me." she said, making then gasp. "You can't!"

"Don't worry about my fate. With the legend comes a prophecy that epic heroes will come from the distant mountains to these lands and save it from the Mythic Dragon. United, they will have the power to destroy the dragon." she said. "So you really think we're those heroes."

"Yes. On your shoulders rests the fate of this kingdom." Jou leapt up from his feet, fired up. "Yeah! I like the sound of that! Super Jou to the rescue!"

"More like Super Dork. Jou, this isn't an eating contest. As you told me, this can get really dangerous. Who know what those suits put in here to hinder us." Mai said. "Whatever. Besides, we need to get through the dragon to get to Kaiba, right? Way I see it, there's no other choice in the matter." Yugi nodded in agreement and Edina smiled. "To properly prepare you for this journey, we shall adorn you in the finest armors in the kingdom." she said as they were ushered off to get fitted for their armor. Mai looked at herself in the mirror once she had her blue and green armor on and smiled. "A girl like me could get used to this. How are you holding up, Yugi?"

He turned to look over to Mai. His armor consisted of white gold and mithril, a combination that will keep him well protect while also being light. He wore a white tunic underneath that and the chainmail and some brown slack with black boots. A white cape adorned his shoulders and he took a moment to look at him. "I dunno. I feel just a little silly."

/I don't think it's silly at all. You look adorable./ Aqua said from within, chuckling softly and that made him blush a little. Mai chuckled before looking to the curtain. "Hey, Jou, what's the holdup?" she called. "I'm thinkin' I'm changing my mind on this whole hero thing..."

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad." Jou mumbled something before coming out from behind the curtain, drawing a gasp from her. He wore ruby colored chainmail over a brown tunic, rich amber and bronze plate armor with shoulder pads and breastplate resting over that with amber gauntlets, green pants and brown boots. "Jou...you look wonderful. Why are you changing your mind?"

"Just doesn't feel right. Then again, you don't get a chance in everyday life ta wear armor." he said. The elder woman smiled. "This was the armor worn by our finest dragon knight. I'm sure it will suit you well." she said. But there little chat was interrupted as lightning streaked across the sky. "Lightning...that can't be good." Jou muttered as they all walked outside to see the reason for the storm that appeared out of nowhere. "Princess you should stay inside." Edina's grandmother spoke as she tried to usher her back inside. "Look, a castle floating in the sky!"

"Forget the castle, look at all those duel monsters coming at us." Mai said.

"Looks like they came for their offering." Jou growled. /Yugi! Look out!/ Yami called and he turned to see the Armed Ninja coming their way. "Watch it! The Armed Ninja!"

"Don't worry, I'll handle this." Mai said as she pulled out a card. "I summon the Dark Witch!" she called as the monster appeared, taking down two of the monsters from the horde. "That won't do, there's too many. Mai, call back your monster." She looked down to Yugi in question before she nodded and returned her monster. "Now what? Do you have a plan?" Yugi nodded as he stepped forward. "I'll use the Dark Hole trap card to take them all out at once!" he said but before the card could activate, a kunai came flying out, tacking the card to the ground. "The Armed Ninja! We forgot about him! That no good monster took out your card!" Jou said before the monster tossed a net over the princess, dragging her off.

"Not this time. Come on out, Axe Raider. Use Kunai with Chain to nail that ninja!" Jou called as the monster appeared, weapon in hand and tossed it at the other, defeating it and Edina dropped towards them but was soon grabbed up by the Whip-tailed Crow. "Oh no, the crow got her! They're getting away!" There was no way to catch up with them now and could only call out for Edina as she was carried off. But to their surprise, Edina was right there beside them as she collapsed to her knees.

"No...they've got Mokuba..." she whispered.

"Mokuba? But how?" Jou questioned.

"He asked me to switch outfits with him so he would be taken instead of me." she explained. "Oh it's all my fault. I should've been the offering, not him." she whimpered before looking to them. "Please, you must save him." Yugi nodded. "We will. Don't worry." he said. "But how are we gonna do that, Yugi?" Jou asked. "I don't know." he answered softly as he moved toward the wall, sighing deeply before looking down."Hey wait, look down there." There others gathered beside him to take a look.

"Looks like ancient ruins."

"But wait! Those marking! They're the markings of the Great Flying Machine!" Edina said.

"Really? So that's where they have been hidden this whole time! It must've been uncovered by the storm." Yugi said. "Well let's get down there and take a look." Jou and Mai nodded and they were off. Once they arrived, they looked around for some sort of clue. "So if the machine was buried, that would make it inoperable, right?"

"Yeah but there has to be some way." Jou murmured. /Yugi, I have the way. If the ruins were buried a thousand years ago, only one card can restore them and Jou has it./ Yami whispered. "Oh, that's right! Jou, you have the card we need!"

"I do?"

"Of course. Think about it. What's the only card that can control time itself?" Jou blinked a moment before wracking his brain for the answer and got it. "Oh yeah, my Time Wizard!" he said, pulling out the card from his deck. "But Yug, if it lands on skulls, it will take our life points." he said and Yugi nodded. "I know but its a risk we have to take." Jou nodded before summoning the monster. "Here it goes. Time Wizard, Time Roulette go!" The clockwork monster cast its magic and soon, the area around them started to bend and shift as withered buildings were being repaired by time itself as the years rolled back to a thousand years. Edina and her grandmother watched in awe as the old town was reborn. When the magic was complete, Jou took a look around.

"Man, it didn't work..." he murmured before a rumbling was heard. "I think you spoke too soon, Jou!" Yugi said as the ground started to crack beneath them. They yelped as they fell into the fissure and Edina called out for them in worry.

* * *

Outside, Kaiser and Honda were still holding back the guards but the barrier proved to be useless since they didn't have the strength to keep holding on but wasn't going to let that stop them. Ruby watched worriedly before looking back to the pods. _'Hurry, Yugi...if you guys don't make it out...you may never get back to reality...'_

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. Another chapter for you all before I leave out for Otakon. Hoped you all enjoyed and for the final votes on the Dungeon Dice matter, looks like anime won so I'll start collecting up my episodes for that so we can get that on the road [but for those who wished to see the manga verse, I may just put that as a bonus segment once this story's done]. Thanks for all your votes on Doom Saga [love the poll system XD] so I know what needs to be done for that. More polls for this story shall be posted. If anything, three more shall be placed for Grand Championship, Capsule Monsters and Noah Virtual World so I'll have my count on those so I know whether I need to find the place to break them into the story [at least Noah's world and Capsule Monsters since both are smack dab in the middle of a season or at least with Cap Monsters in between the Grand Championship and Millennium World]. So place in your votes for the first of three is up: Noah's Virtual World!

And as a final note, apparently a hacker has found their way here to so for all respected authors that read my fics, I beseech thee to change your passwords immediately so this hacker won't be able to get into your profile and start deleting stories and changing info. CrazyAboutYugi has suffered already and we don't want you to be next. So heed this warning, respected authors and I'll shall see you all on Monday with a possible new chapter.


	24. Closing: Virtual Adventure

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 24

* * *

"The great heroes! They were right in the middle of that!" Edina cried as she and the rest of the villagers looked on. Soon, through the dust, a great structure could be seen rising up from the ground. Edina smiled brightly when she saw what it was. "They did it! Their magic revived the great flying machine!" she said in happiness. Yugi and the others sat up and looked around. "Hey, looks like the Time Wizard did his job!" Jou said triumphantly.

"You did it!" Mai said, giving the other teen a hug.

"Get offa me!" he hissed before they heard cheering from below and they stood to look over the side, seeing Edina and the rest of her kingdom cheering them on. "Man, talk about a bon voyage" Jou murmured as they waved to the people. "Alright! Let's get this show on the road! I called it! I'm driving!" he said as he ran up to the steering wheel and steered them towards the castle. Iru came flying up and fluttered before Yugi, making him chuckle. "I guess you're coming along with us, aren't you?" She nodded and he smiled as she rested in his hair as they started on their way to the castle.

* * *

Back outside, Kaiser and Honda were still holding the door close to prevent them from coming in. Honda's grip on the pole that was keeping the door shut loosened just a little, enabling one to nearly get his arm through. Kaiser growled before lunging forward, biting it. The guy on the other side howled in pain then went silent when Kaiser jerked his head back, making him collide with the door and was knocked unconscious. He released the hand with a grin as Honda closed the door again. Saruwatari only smirked. "We're going to get in there whether you like it or not!"

"Not on my watch! They're on a rescue mission and we're not letting you get through to stop them!" Honda growled.

* * *

"This is your captain speaking. If you look to our left, you'll see a creepy looking castle, some clouds and a whole horde of monsters out and ready to devour us!" Jou joked for the time being until the appearance of monsters came into sight when they passed through the clouds. "Look out cause here they come!" Once the ship was in sight, the monsters came flying at them, ready to stop their mission here and now. "Go, Harpie Lady!" Mai called as she summoned her monster along with using Elegant Egotist to tear through the horde.

"Gilta, let show them who's boss!" Jou said as he summoned the warrior who joined in the fray.

"Black Magician, go!" The magician appeared as well, destroying chunks of minsters easily with Black Magic. "Yeah! Our monsters are kicking butt!" Jou said happily before wincing as the whole ship shook with a bombardment from Mega Thunderball. "Ugh! We're getting hit bad!" Jou kept his hands on the wheel while Mai held on. Yugi wasn't so lucky as he hit the ground and a Whip-tailed Crow came after him while he was defenseless. Black Magician was still handling monsters so he couldn't make it back in time to save his master. But a miracle was nestled right in Yugi's hair as Iru came out to use her magic to stop the crow but it wasn't enough as she was batted away like an annoying fly.

"Iru, no!" Yugi cried. When things were cleared, Black Magician came down to save Yugi, destroying the monster. "That's it!" Yugi growled as he drew a card. "Swords of Revealing Light!" The swords appeared, trapping the monsters in place. Once that was done, Yugi ran over to where Iru had fallen. "Iru...are you ok..." he whispered. The tiny fairy smiled softly, raising a small hand up to him but soon disappeared right from the palm of his hands. Yugi clenched his hands as he looked down.

/Yami, Aqua...I need you now...show those bastards that I've had enough with their evil game.../ he whispered through the link. Shadows misted up from the ground and Mai just so happened to have turned to look to Yugi to see this happened. "W-what's going on?"

"Yami and Aqua are mad, that's what's going on. You never saw them pissed so be ready for a shocker." Jou said as he drove the ship up towards the castle. The pristine white armor grew darker as the shadows grew before a hiss erupted from Yami's throat as he looked up, cerise eyes glowing dangerously. Another pool of shadows grew behind him as Aqua rose up from it, also growling. Mai stepped back just a little as she saw them in they full demon glory. _'I never saw them like this before...'_ she thought as Yami walked over to Jou's side. "Let's go, Jounouchi. Tear through that magical barrier." Jou nodded as he continued driving the ship until they reached the barrier where they were halted for a moment.

"Come on, ship! You made it through once now don't fail us again!" Jou growled as the ship pierced through and made it was past the barrier. He and Mai gave a sigh of relief. "Well, we're past one obstacle now. And we're almost to the castle." he said. "Not yet. Move, Jounouchi!" Aqua called as a wave of fire shot out from the depths of the castle. Jou's quick maneuvering prevented them from taking the blast head on but the wing of the ship was still nicked from the blast. Darkfire Dragon appeared from within, ready to shoot another blast at them. "No! Harpie Lady, take out that dragon!" Harpie Lady rose up from the clouds, rose whip at the ready as it easily defeated the dragon with one swipe. Aqua examined the damage and saw the fire reaching the engine. "It doesn't look good. Grab on!" He called, holding out a hand. Jou grabbed onto him just as the engine went down, a propeller blade coming right at them.

Aqua took to the skies as Yami grabbed hold of Mai, doing the same. Harpie Lady, accompanied with her sisters, came to follow behind them, Gilta and Black Magician hanging onto two of them.

* * *

Witty Phantom came walking back in, smirking all the while as he came up to the slab where Kaiba was still tied. "Wake up, Kaiba. You asked me to be programmed to torment my captives, not let them get a beauty nap." he spoke as Kaiba growled. "Hmph...maybe I should've programmed you to be silent." he hissed. "Come now. Don't be that way. Besides, look who we captured." he said as he pointed over to the side where a figure appeared. "His disguise wasn't going to fool anyone." Mokuba stood, taking of the dress as he looked up to his brother. "Mokuba! What are you doing here?"

"What else, nii-sama? I'm here to save you." he said.

"You're not in any position to be saving anyone. Now when you're both are about to take a dip in the lava pool of Atonement. And once the ritual has been complete, the Mythic Dragon will be revived and wreak havoc upon this land." the phantom spoke. "Not on your life!" Mokuba growled. "I call upon you, Swordstalker! Free nii-sama!" he called as the monster appeared, slashing away the binds holding Kaiba. Mokuba slipped off the deck holder and handed it to Kaiba. "Here's your deck, nii-sama." He nodded his thanks as he slipped the holder onto his wrist. "Alright, time for a little payback." he murmured, making the monster panic.

"I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon! Take out that phantom!" he said as the dragon appeared behind him. Witty Phantom tried to run but didn't get far as the blast hit him, destroying him. With that obstacle out of the way, both brothers ran out, now looking for the nearest way out. Armed Ninjas came flying out from hidden burrows, one tossing out the Dragon Capture Jar, ready to claim Kaiba's second Blue Eyes. "Not this time! I summon you, Trap Master!" he said as he summoned the monster and said monster grinned as it slashed the jar to pieces, freeing the other Blue Eyes and Kaiba smirked. "There, now that I have my other Blue Eyes, it's time to do some pest control. Blue Eyes, White Lightning!"

Both dragons roared as they took out the monsters. When the way was cleared, Kaiba looked down to Mokuba. "Now, Mokuba, tell me. How were you able to get here?"

"Don't get mad but I asked Yugi and his friends for help." he whispered.

"What? I still have my feelings about those demons of his."

"But Jou is with them and he willing to give ya a chance so please, don't seem mean to him." Kaiba looked down to him before giving a nod. "Let's just see what happens." he said as they ran off to look for a way out.

* * *

"Huh, a floating castle with its own forest. Now that's what I call odd." Jou said as the group ran through the forest. "Hey, look up there. Cocoons of Evolution." Mai called as she pointed to where the horde of them were. "Really? Then why are they buzzing?"

"I don't think it's them that's buzzing, Jounouchi." Aqua whispered as Hercules Beetles and Killer Needles rose up from the forest. "Looks like we got a bug problem! Go Gilta!" Jou called and his monster shot forwards, destroying the bugs. But before he could react, he was downed by a Man-Eater Bug. "Shit, looks like we really have ourselves a bug nest." Yami whispered as more bugs swarmed from the forest at them. He quickly drew a card. "Let's go, Mirror Force!"

The invisible barrier appeared and like a moth to flame, the bug monsters hit the barrier, falling to the ground in a fiery mass. "This is great and all but the fire is disturbing the cocoons!" Mai said as Great Moths hatched from their cocoons.

"Oh man! We can't handle all them bugs!"

"Oh yes we can." Yami drew two more cards and summon the monsters. Kuriboh and Catapult Turtle appeared. "Kuriboh? How is he gonna handle this?"

"It's not just him but multiples of him." Yami answered as he used the Multiply card before the turtle shot the tiny puffball towards the moths and on contact, they exploded, taking the moths down in a blaze. Mai and Jou cheered and from outside the game, the Big 5 watched the victory before one growled. "It's time to end this rescue and take this game to the final level." he spoke as they all stood.

"From creepy forest to creepy cavern. How are we ever going to find those brothers?" Jou muttered as they walked inside. They heard the sound of a roar and looked around. "Didya hear that?" Aqua listened closely as another roar was heard. "Yeah, sounds like the Blue Eyes. They're close." he whispered as a vortex opened up from the top and the Blue Eyes' head appeared. Kaiba and Mokuba slid off and landed before them. "Nice to see you two aren't trapped." Aqua spoke.

"Yeah, despite the unrequited help." Kaiba murmured before looking over to Jou. Said teen crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "Jounouchi I..." he started but was halted as a maniacal laughter rung through the cavern. "Congratulations, gamers. You've reached the final level."

"On the contrary, we've beaten the game. Now end it." Kaiba snarled.

"Oh, is that what you really think, Kaiba?"

"Yes I've escaped the lava pool, therefore the Mythic Dragon wasn't revived. This game is over."

A chuckle was heard. "Of course but the game's not over. Not what we have control!" he said as the area shifted around them. "Hey! What going on here?"

"They still have control over the game so they're summoning the Mythic Dragon themselves!" Kaiba answered as the large five-headed dragon appeared. "How are we supposed to beat that thing!" Mai exclaimed. "I don't know but standing here gawking isn't going to help." Jou said. "Alright then. Let's get this final battle started, I call on the Harpie Lady Sisters!" The three harpies appeared but no longer after they did, they gave a cry of pain. "What's going on?"

"Just a little extra programming we did." the voice spoke as a seal appeared beneath them. "We call it the dragon seal which makes this place a sacred location where only dragon type monsters can fight."

"A battle of dragons, huh? You five are fools to think you'll win against me. Come forth, Blue Eyes!"

"Yeah! We'll kick your Mythic Dragon butt to the trash heap! Red Eyes, come on out!"

"Harpie's Pet Dragon, let's go!"

"And I call on you, Curse of Dragon!"

The four dragons appeared before each launching their attacks but the Mythic Dragon easily countered it with four of its own attacks. "Tch! They all canceled out." Aqua whispered. "Indeed, but one of your doesn't have a dragon to attack or defend with." Kaiba's eyes widened as he looked to Mokuba. "No!" The middle head charged its attack before unleashing it towards Mokuba.

"Block it, Red Eyes!"

The dragon flew in front of Mokuba, blocking him from the blast. The Blue Eyes, on the other hand, saw this and gave a cry. "Jounouchi!" Kaiba called as Jou's life points hit zero and he collapsed. He ran forwards and knelt down beside him. "Jounouchi..." He looked up to Kaiba and smiled a little. "So...ya have a heart after all...maybe you still have a chance..." he whispered.

"No...don't go..."

He laughed a little as he started to disappear. "Win this game, guys..." he whispered before he was gone completely. "Jounouchi..." Kaiba whispered again as Mai looked back to the dragon, tears in her eyes. "What kind of sick, twisted game did you turn this into?"

"Game? This was a game long ago."

Kaiba growled as he stood. "We're going to stop you here and now! And when I'm through with you all, you're going to wish you never pissed me off." he sneered. "We're going to need a new tactic then. Aqua, watch over Mokuba." Aqua nodded and moved over to Mokuba's side, letting the younger climb onto his back. "So, what are we going to do?"

"That dragon is powerful but only one monster came match up to it." Yami said as he drew two cards. "Black Luster Soldier, I summon you by sacrificing Gaia and Curse of Dragon!" The ritual appeared before them and the two sacrificial monsters were sacrificed. Soon enough, the ultimate warrior appeared but was weakened by the seal. "Guess you're more foolhardy than we thought. Only dragons can attack so he is rendered useless. On the other hand, we can attack him and be rid of you!"

"Not if I can help it! Go!" Mai called and Harpie's Pet Dragon moved in to attack. "Worthless!" The dragon attacked again, overpowering Mai's dragon and destroyed it, taking her out in the process. "Mai!" she looked to them weakly. "Looks like I won't be here long enough to see how this ends but I know you can do it..." she whispered before she was gone as well. Yami growled deeply as he glared up at the dragon god. "This...ends...now..." he hissed before looking to Kaiba. "I'm going to need your cooperation. Create the Blue Eyes Ultimate."

"No way. This is personal now. I'll kill that dragon on my own!"

"How, Kaiba? You already lost two of your crew but now, we're going to make it three." The dragon charged for another attack before unleashing it. Aqua spotted the attack not aiming for the Blue Eyes and gasped. Mokuba saw this as well and urged Aqua forward. "Nii-sama! It's not your dragon they're attacking!" he called as they slammed him out of the way but Aqua couldn't react in time to move from the blast. A terrible roar left him as he collapsed.

"Mokuba..."

"I'm ok..." he murmured before both started to disappear.

"Mokuba!"

/Aqua!/

Yami gave a roar, eyes flashing before looking to Kaiba. "Don't let this sacrifice be in vain, Kaiba! Get off your pompous ass and summon that dragon! I have a plan but it'll be for nothing if one of us is defeated!" he hissed. Kaiba looked to the other, wide-eyed before nodding as he brought out the cards needed, summoning his other two dragons and combined them with Polymerization. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do."

The 5 gave a laugh. "Sure, that dragon is powerful but we are the ultimate! You will not win!"

"You talk big but that's where you're wrong. Apparently you never heard of one creature can take down a god." Yami spoke as he brought out the final card needed. "I use Polymerization! Go Black Luster Knight!"

"You too, Blue Eyes!"

"We won't let you!" They said as the Mythic Dragon unleashed all five attacks at the monster but they were all neutralized. "What? Nothing happened!"

"Oh, something did happen." Yami whispered as the reformed monster appeared. "Meet the supreme Dragon Master Knight! Now, unleash your power!" The knight raised his sword as Red Eyes and Harpie's Pet Dragon appeared. "Why have they returned? We destroyed them!"

"Yes, but Dragon Master Knight gains attack from every dragon here, even one that died in battle!" The Mythic Dragon roared in anguish as its power was being taken along with that of the Red Eyes and Pet Dragon. "Now, time for this game to be finished. Dragon Master Knight, finish off the Mythic Dragon with Dragon Saber Blast!" Both monsters unleashed their attacks, both combining into one great blast that destroyed the Mythic Dragon. "Game over." Yami whispered as the terrain disappeared and both Kaiba and Yami fell into an abyss before blacking out.

* * *

Yami groaned as he awoke to the sounds of cheering and looked up just as Kaiba was getting up to see the townspeople before them, cheering. "Great heroes, you have slain the dragon and brought our kingdom peace." Edina spoke as she walked up to them. "Yes but we have suffered a great loss." Yami murmured. She smiled a little. "Even for heroes, no matter how strong, shouldn't have to bear such a terrible loss." she whispered as she glowed and soon became the Mystical Elf. "Look at that. She going to revive everyone." A pillar of light came down from the heavens and brought back everyone, including Iru. Yami smiled as he walked over to them. "Good to have you all back safe and sound."

Aqua looked up to him and smiled. "Glad to be back."

"Mokuba!"

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba stood and ran over to Kaiba and hugged him. He smiled as he returned the gesture before looking up as Jou walked over to him. "So, what was it that you were tryin' ta tell me?" he questioned. Kaiba was silent for a moment before Mokuba nudged him. "Well, even after all I've put you and your friends through over the course of time, I came to really like you, Jounouchi. I want you to give me a chance to prove myself to you."

"Hmm, I dunno...you really put us through shit on countless occasions, not to mention the insults." Aqua walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "Try it out, even if it's just for a little while, Jou-kun." he said as Jou looked to him before looking back to Kaiba. "Alright then. But you're still on thin ice, Kaiba."

"Please, call me Seto." Mokuba grinned happily that his brother finally got the chance he was waiting for before looking to see a large vortex open up. "Nii-sama! The exit portal is open!" he chirped and he nodded. "Let's go." he murmured before looking to the others. "At first, I was going to say that your help wasn't really needed but if anything, I probably would never gotten out alive without it so I guess some thanks are in order here. As for you Yami, we do make a good team but I still have a score to settle with you. Don't expect another chance at a partnership like this so easily in the near future."

He chuckled as he crossed his arms, nodding. "I'm sure that the grudge you hold is still there but don't make a promise that might be your downfall." he murmured. "Whatever you say. Let's go. I have some executives to fry." Seto murmured as he walked through the portal with Mokuba.

"Great heroes, we will never forget your deeds for the kingdom and the people."

"And we will never forget you guys either!" Jou said before they all walked out, waving to the people before they walked through the portal.

* * *

"We're in!" One of the goons said as they charged in. "Bring it on, you lousy suits!" Honda growled as he blocked them from getting further in with the pipe. Ruby was about to jump in and offer help when the pods opened and Aqua growled as he leapt out first, scaring the guards as he bared teeth and claws. The others climbed out and Kaiser smiled. "It's good to see you all made it!" he said cheerfully.

"No..." Saruwatari whispered.

"Yeah! And Nii-sama out too and without you lugheads to watch your bosses, he's going to be kicking some major executive asses!" Mokuba hissed. "Oh no! He's right! Retreat!" Saruwatari called and they all filed out in hopes to reach the Big 5 before Seto. "Good riddance." Ruby murmured before looking to them. "So, how did it go?"

"A major pain but we made it through." Jou said.

"Not that." he teased, smirking.

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, I gave ya bro a chance. He's still on thin ice, though. Just one wrong move and it's over." Jou huffed. Ruby chuckled along with Mokuba before he looked to them. "Thanks you guys. I don't know what I would do without you to help." Aqua smiled. "It's nothing, kiddo. Now go on. I'm sure your brother doesn't want you out of his sight again." He nodded as he took Ruby's hand and ran off, waving back to them. They watched him go before hearing a yawn and looked around for a moment before spotting Mai coming out from the back room. "So she was here all along?"

"Yep, in the flesh. So how'd it go?"

"Seto's safe and sound and the executives that caused this mess is about to get a rude awakening, Kaiba style." Yugi said. She chuckled and nodded. "That's good. Dorks like them shouldn't be allowed to get their hands in technology again."

"Yeah..." Yugi looked over to Aqua and ran over to hug him. "You really scared me, you know."

"I'm sure but I can't be rid of that easy."

"That's a good thing." he said as he kissed his snout. "Now let's get out of here."

"Yeah, I'm bushed." Jou said before they all left the building and headed off on their separate ways.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. The end of Legendary Heroes. And yep, mucho love development between Jou and Seto. Cheer for less pompous Seto, people! -throw confetti- Anywho, hope you all enjoy the chapter. Now time for the voting poll news. Looks like Noah's Virtual World has won by a landslide so that shall be placed into the story once we get to that point. So now I'm ending that poll early and putting up the next one which is **Grand Championship**. So place in your votes now! And now, time for my favorite past time with this story, a little Duel Monster story for you all from Seto's deck.

-Shadow Realm: Kaiba's Deck-

Yikido stomped around, more angry than before after what happened. Virtual reality or not, he still had his mind in tact there and he didn't like the Mythic Dragon in the slightest. /"That bastard dragon! How dare he attack the little one!"/ he growled. /"And my precious Red Eyes was hurt! I'll never forgive it or those executives! I oughta tear them to pieces if I had the chance to!"/ he raved. Aoi watched from where he sat before giving a sigh.

/"Yikido. Enough stomping around. You really don't want to catch Torone's attention now do you?"/

The other stopped and knew the eldest was right. He still remembered the threat the other made to him. He would rub it in his face that he'll never get the chance to meet the Red Eyes face to face but he didn't feel like picking a fight with him. /"It's so annoying to know I'll never see that Red Eyes except for in battle..."/ he murmured.

"You may be lucky this time around though." An unknown voice spoke and he turned quickly to see Dragon Master Knight standing there. /"How'd you get here?"/

"I'm a combined monster of both Kaiba and Master Yami so I can travel through either realm of either deck." Luster spoke as the middle head lowered. "But like I said, you're lucky. Kaiba was able to get through to Jounouchi and now they're together. It's still a rocky start after all Kaiba put him through but it's still something and with Jounouchi a little accepting, the monsters here have a chance to explore around his deck realm."

/"Really? That mean I can finally meet my Red Eyes!"/ Yikido said, happy with the news. Luster chuckled. "I can lead the way. I go by there often to see the warriors and give them a lesson or two." Luster spoke. /"Of course!"/ Luster petted Ulhar's head before hopping off and landed on Yikido. "Let's go." Yikido nodded as he spread his wings and flew out of the realm. Aoi chuckled as he watched before walking with Ulhar, talking with him. When both dragons were gone did Torone show himself, eyes narrowed as he watched Yikido leave. _'You think **you're** so lucky. That **you **always get picked every time Master Kaiba goes into battle. **You **got to see the Red Eyes twice but I'm going to end it here.'_ he thought as he followed behind them.

-TBC-

Zypher: Well looky there, I have a mini story going on! -chuckles- Yep, Jou's acceptance of Seto has now opened a way for his monsters to his deck but looks like Torone isn't a happy camper with Yikido out to see Akai. We shall see what happens soon enough. Anyways, hoped you enjoy this little story and will be awaiting more. And if you have any suggestion for a name for Black Luster Soldier, please shout 'em out. I wanted to think of something better but nothing has come to mind yet. See ya soon!

Ulhar [draconian/name for Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon]: Blue


	25. The Shop of Broken Hearts

Yami no Game

Chapter 25

* * *

It was another usual day as Yugi got ready for school and gave his goodbye kisses to Yami and Aqua before heading down and out the shop, greeting his grandfather as he stepped outside. "After all these years and then this goes and happens..." he murmured. "Grandpa...are you alright?" he asked before he heard someone calling his name and turned, seeing Myrrh coming his way and waved. "Hey there, Myrrh." She smiled as she stopped beside him before looking over to Sugoroku. "Hello there, Mr. Motou."

"Hmph...good for you." he said with a huff as he continued sweeping.

"Ouch. What's got your grandfather sour today?" she asked.

"I dunno. He's be acting weird all morning and I'm starting to get a little worried."

"Maybe he's sick." As they were talking, he popped up right beside them and clapped them on the back, making them both jump. "Alright. Stop your worrying and I'll tell ya what going on." he brushed past them, getting a serious look on his face. "I've endured many things in my old life. Trapped in an ancient pyramid, stung by scorpions, attacked by Tibetan wolves. But nothing like that compares to this!" He pointed off to the distance where a building towered over others in the small residential district. "A new game store opened up!"

"Whoa...when did a new game store get built?"

Sugoroku crossed his arms. "They think they can drive me out of business, selling all the trendy little things for the newer generations. They have no respect for the classics, the true honor of gaming." he explained but it all fell on deaf ears as Yugi looked over to the shop. "A new game store, huh? I better go over and check out the competition." he said happily before jumping as his grandfather glared at him. "Don't you even think about it!"

"Ok, ok! I won't!" he said before taking Myrrh's hand and headed off towards school, or would be instead he doubled back and took an alternate path to where the store was. "Yugi, when your grandfather finds out, he's going to be steamed." Myrrh warned.

"Oh, what's the harm in a little window shopping?" he said as they reached the store and a lady was passing out flyers to passerbys. "Here you go." she said as she handed him one. "Dungeon Dice Monster, huh? Looks kinda cool but I wonder how you play it..." he wondered before yelping as Myrrh caught the collar of his coat. "Come on, you silly boy. We need to go now before you make me miss my first class again."

"But it's usually not me! That's Jou's fault!" he whined.

From the window on the second floor, a man looked outside. "Hey look there, Otogi. There's that Motou kid. He's the one that has those demons that beat Pegasus, right?" he questioned as he looked to the teen standing next to him. "A little cheater like Yami needs a little voice to help him out." he murmured. "Yugi, if I get detention for this, you're doing my homework for the next week!" Myrrh grumbled. "Can't I get a word in edgewise?"

"Nope!"

The other guy smirked. "You're right. Surely he was giving out cards from outside the ring as they dueled. There's no way Pegasus could be beaten by his own game." he murmured. "But it doesn't matter now. The die has been cast, the trap is set and once little Yugi gets himself in too deep, his little helper will show himself. And when that happens, Otogi will beat him with his own game and show everyone that they're nothing but fakes that don't deserve the title Duel Monsters champion." Another spoke as he walked in. "You got that right, Jade." The man spoke again. "But right now, you aren't paid to lick my boots, you're paid to manage this shop." Otogi said as he looked to him.

"Yes, yes, of course. But once you're named the new King of Games over that kid, Yami, the money will really flow into this shop." he said with a greedy gleam in his eyes. _'Too bad money is all you think about. My goal is to see to the total destruction of Yami.'_ Otogi thought as he watched Yugi and Myrrh leave the premises. "We better get going, Otogi. We wouldn't want to be late on our first day." Jade spoke with a little smirk. "Besides, I heard from a little bird that Kaiba and Jewelstone has found themselves someone. Want to get the chance to take a little look onto that while we're at it?"

He returned the smirk. "Why not. More entertainment for us." he said before the two left to head to school.

* * *

"You're kiddin' right? There's a spanking new game store around the block?" Jou asked. "Yeah. Grandpa's getting a little worried about it and I am too. I don't want the shop to be run out of business." Yugi said. "Well then why don't you get Yami and Aqua to do something about it?" Honda suggested and winced as he was hit by Myrrh. "That would probably give the shop bad publicity, Honda. Think with your head for once." she growled.

"Yeah. But back onto the matter of the shop. There's some hype going on that we saw when we took a look." he said, pulling out the flyer. Kaiser took it and skimmed it. "Dungeon Dice Monsters. Sounds fancy." he said, handing the flyer back. "Yeah, I heard about it myself."

"Really? How'd you become the gaming expert now?" Honda questioned.

"Little thing called a newspaper. Ever heard of one, Honda?" he retorted. "Whoa, back up! As far as I know, you never read the newspaper!"

"Yeah well I need a little spending money so I read while I'm on the job!" he said as he glared at Honda. "I need to save every bit of the award money for my sister's operation." Myrrh smiled as she took a seat. "How is Shizuka doing?" she asked. "Pretty well! The eye doc said that she'll be able to see in no time and then she'll be able to see her big bros!" he said with a smile. Soon, they peace was interrupted by cheering from the girls and they looked up. "Oh boy, what's going on now?" Kaiser muttered. "Sounds like it's coming from the neighboring classroom." Myrrh said as they stood and headed out, peeking inside.

There, sitting at a desk was a new student they haven't seen before, another standing beside him. And around them was a horde of girls fawning over something. "Alright ladies, it's showtime." he spoke suavely as he took the stacked dice and set them into groups. He smirked as he looked to them before swiping them up into the cup. "Keep your eyes on me, girls." he said, setting the cup down on the table. His smirk deepened as he lifted the cup, showing them the dice stacked up in a pattern with all sides matching perfectly. That made the girls cheer and gush over him even more and he chuckled.

"Great, looks like another pretty boy to me." Jou muttered. "Catching the attention of the ladies like always. Nothing but a showoff."

"You got that right." Kaiser added.

Honda looked over to the two students sitting off to the side. "Hey, you guys know him?" he asked and they looked up. "Yeah, that's Otogi Ryuuji and his brother, Jade Ryojin. They're the new owners of that new game store that opened up not too long ago." One spoke. "Oh, that's makes him even better. A rich showoff. We really need one of those in school."

"So says the one dating Seto Kaiba." Myrrh whispered and he shushed her before anyone could hear. Otogi looked over to them when he heard them and smirked. _'Well, well. Kaiba snagged himself a decent guy. Guess I'll work some charm on him.'_ he thought as he stood and walked over to them with Jade close behind. "Hate to intrude but I couldn't help but notice a fine young man standing here." he said as he looked to Jou.

"Look somewhere else, bud. You have a horde of girls waiting hand and foot." he grumbled. "Come on, Yugi. I'm feelin' up for a duel." Yugi nodded but Otogi held him back. "Duel Monsters fan, eh? You look like the type to become first class." he said, smiling a little. "I guess. I mean, I did defeat Bandit Keith, number one American duelist champion." Jou said before shaking his head. "Hey, what are you trying to hint at?" he growled.

"Just know talent when I see it. And how about you?" His gaze then turned to Yugi. "I heard a little about you. You know Yami, the winner of Duelist Kingdom, right?"

"Well yeah, he's my boyfriend." he answered and Otogi's eyes narrowed. _'I see. Guess there was much more to them than I expected...'_ Jou saw this and growled before placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Come on, I already don't like this guy..." he whispered.

"Wait, wait, wait. Before you go, mind if I play a little game with your friend here?" Jade asked as he looked to Kaiser. The other shifted back away from him. "I rather not."

"Oh come on. Just humor me. I am new here." he spoke, smirking softly. Kaiser groaned before nodding. "Fine. Name your game." Jade waved him back over to the desk and took out a die. "We'll just use this cup and die." he said, tossing it into the cup and set it on the table before looking up to him as he removed his hand. "Now, I bet I can put that die into my right hand without touching the cup." he said as he looked to him. Kaiser sneered as he looked to him. "So you think you're a real Houdini, is that it?"

"What? Too afraid to play my game, precious?"

"Watch the nicknames, kid." he hissed. Jade chuckled softly. "So what will it be, do you believe me or not?"

"Well of course not!"

"Alright. Then what if I tell you the die is already gone?" he questioned, gaze watching Kaiser. "Say wha...you're joking." Jade tsked. "Then check for yourself." Kaiser growled as he reached for the cup. "Wait, Kaiser! Don't listen to him!" Yugi tried to warn but it was too late as he lifted the cup, seeing the die was still there and Jade smirked as he took it into his right hand. "See. Die is in my right hand and I didn't touch the cup."

"You swindling little..." Kaiser started but was overshadowed by the cheering posse of girls. Jou growled as he stepped forward. "Hey! That was a cheap move. You may have won over the girls with your suave ways but I'm not letting you con my brother! If you wanna feel like a real man, we'll play a real game! I challenge you to a duel!" Otogi chuckled as he stepped forward as well. "Just like you to protect your brother, I'll protect mine. But I just have one little term to add. I don't have a deck of my own. So we'll do this, we'll open up new packs and make a deck from those cards." he said.

"But that isn't fair! If you're just using cards fresh out of a pack without getting a feel for them, the duel will be nothing but pure luck." Yugi said. "Yugi, relax. If I back down now, I won't be setting a good example." he said before looking back to Otogi. "I accept your challenge." Jade was still watching Kaiser before an idea popped in mind and he grinned devilishly before waving Otogi down. When he did, he whispered something into his ear and he smirked.

"You're right, Jade. A simple duel would be boring." he said before looking to Jou. "So to spice it up a bit, why don't we make a deal. If I win, you'll do whatever I say. Same going for Kaiser listening to whatever Jade has to say." Yugi knew that something was up and feared that Jou was about to get himself into something very bad. "Jou please, back out of this now. There's something bad about the deal he's throwing at you." he whispered. Jou shook his head. "I can't, Yugi. I have to do this. Besides, if I win, I'll get them to shut down their shop." he said. "Jou, I think you might be getting in over your head. This guy is bad news." Honda whispered.

"Don't worry. I can handle this."

"Good. Then we'll head over to my game shop after school. I have a state of the art dueling arena installed there." he said before moving back to the seat. _'He'll be mine before the end of the day. A fierce soul like him needs someone good to tame him.'_ he thought as he sat back down.

* * *

After school, they headed home to change clothes before heading over to Black Crown. Yami and Aqua tagged along to see what's going on. When they entered inside, a man came over to them. "Hello and welcome to the Black Crown. Mr. Ryuuji was worried you weren't going to make it today." he said. "Right this way." The man led the way and they followed. "So what exactly is going on here?" Aqua questioned as he followed. "Well, we had a bit of an issue at school today. Two new students that joined today were showing off and it annoyed Jou and Kaiser and now Jou got himself into a duel that if he loses, he'll have to do whatever Otogi says." Aqua snorted.

"That's stupid."

"Yeah and I have my suspicions of those two. I think they have a grudge against you, Yami but it also looks as if they want Jou and Kaiser and I don't like it, especially since they're together with Seto and Ruby." he whispered. "Yeah, if that's true and Jou loses, it might end bad." Yami murmured. They reached the elevator and it stopped on the floor and opened, revealing Otogi and Jade inside. "Ah, glad you could make it, Katsuya."

"How'd you find out my name?" Jou growled as he crossed his arms. "That's my little secret." he said with a smirk.

"The dueling arena is on sub-level six. Your chariot awaits." the man spoke with a short chuckle before leaving as they entered into the elevator. Jade pointed to a box sitting beside him. "Here are the cards. Choose your packs carefully now." he said and Jou nodded as he knelt down and started picking through packs. _'Alright Jounouchi...need to find some good ones to show up this dice freak.'_ he thought as he opened one and grinned. _'Jackpot.' _Yugi stepped over and looked to him. "Find some good one, Jou?"

"Don't worry about it! I got this!" He said as he went through some more packs until he got a forty card deck. The elevator dinged as they reached the floor. "Are we there?" Kaiser asked and when the door opened, the lights came on and Otogi's posse now became his cheerleading squad. "Wonderful. First you were squabbling like chickens over their talent and now you're a gaggle of geese." Kaiser said with a sigh. _'Where's Ruby when you need him...'_ he thought. "Hey, watch what you say about us!" One of the girls spoke and he waved them off. "Whatever you say."

They walked in and Yugi spotted the camera panning around the field._ 'This definitely isn't good.'_ he thought. "Camera 1 in place!" A voice called and he smirked. "Good."

"Wait. Having this publicized wasn't part of the deal!" Jou growled. "I know. It was a last minute thing. I thought the bigger the audience, the better the performance you'll give. I mean you don't want to disappoint at being second best and instead be second rate." Otogi spoke.

"Second rate...you'll be needing a second life once I'm through with you, Ryuuji!" he growled, making the girls whine. "And will you gals shut it over there?" They started to protest but Otogi held a hand up to them. "No need to worry, ladies. I have this all under control." he said and they grinned as they started cheering again. Jou growled before moving over to one of the platforms and hopped over the guardrail, slamming the deck down into the deck zone. "Let's get this show on the road, pretty boy!" Otogi smirked as he went to the other side and stepped onto the platform, setting his deck down as well as both platforms raised and activated.

"Alright. For my first move, I'll attack with Oni Tank T-34." Otogi spoke as the monster appeared onto the field. "And that ends my first turn."

"Alright dice boy, time to end this." Jou spoke as he drew his card and grinned. _'Sword Hunter has a damn good effect! For every monster it defeat, it gives him attack by becoming a piece of his armor.' _He smirked before summoning him. "I'll start off with this bad boy. Slice and dice!" he said as the monster appeared and easily took down the tank. "Done and done and now your monster becomes a part of my guy's armor and ups his attack by a whopping 200 points." he said as his monster's attack rose to 2650 and Otogi's life points lowered down to 950.

Otogi smirked. "Got you right where I want you, Katsuya." he whispered as he drew his next card. _'Ah...this will come in handy later.'_ He took another card from his hand and began his turn. "I place Dark Bat in defense and a card face down." he said as the tiny bat monster appeared. "That's the best you can do? You're just asking to lose this shop, aren't ya?" Jou drew his next card and grinned. "I play Mad Sword Beast in attack mode. Now mow down that flying rat!"

"No harm done since my bat was in defense."

"That's where ya wrong, pretty boy! Mad Sword Beast still does damage even if the monster is in defense mode." he said as Otogi's life points hit 550. "No matter, my Dark Bat won't be heading to the grave alone, thanks to Michizuri." he said as he flipped the trap card.

"Michi-what?"

"Yes, Michizuri. It drags down one monster along with mine." he explained as it grabbed a hold of Sword Hunter and destroyed it. "Ouch, now that was a critical blow." Myrrh murmured. _'Yeah and I'm worried that Otogi knows more about this game than he let's on.'_ Yugi thought as he looked to Yami and Aqua. _'And it looks like I'm not the only one.'_ Otogi smirked. _'This little puppy's all mine.'_ He drew his next card. "Seeing as Sword Hunter's not a threat with him going to an early grave, I'll play this down on the field and then summon Spikebot to get rid of your beast." he said as the monster appeared and destroyed Jou's monster. "Come on, Jou! Get your head in the game!" Honda called out from the sidelines. "I know, I know! Cause I know for a fact I'm not going into any servitude to this pompous showoff!" he said as he drew his next card and grinned.

"Sweet! Lady Luck is on the money today! I play Goblin Attack Force! Kick that bot's keester to the graveyard!" The monster went in to attack, destroying Spikebot easily and sending Otogi's life points down to a mere 50. "Your store's hanging on by a thread, Ryuuji! Just give up while you still have life points to spare!"

"Not a chance, as you can see, your goblins go into defense after their attack." he pointed out and Jou looked down to the field. _'Damn...he's right...'_ A smirk pulled across the other's face. "And after this, you'll be _my _little puppy." he whispered. "Say what?"

"Yes! Now let me show you the strongest card in my deck! Gradius, come forth!" he called as the ship appeared on the field. "You call that strong? That would barely make a dent."

"But I'm not done, I play this little magic card, Limited Removal and double its attack." he said as the machine's attack moved up to 2400. "Yeah but guess what, those points won't be put to much use with my goblins in defense!" Jou said, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck. _'If he has something else though, I'm toast...and the way he's speaking is freaking me out here!'_

"Just one last card before you're mine, Katsuya. I play Fairy Meteor Crush!"

"What?"

"Oh no!"

"This is crazy!" Yugi whispered as he held onto Yami's hand. "I don't like where this is going..." Yami nodded as he squeezed his hand. "I don't blame you. Otogi's after something and I'm sure with this deal business should he win is just fuel to the fire."

"Wait a sec...what does it do?" Kaiser questioned. "Yeah, I like to know that too." Jou said. "My, my. And I though the second best would know of this. Or at least one who is dating Seto Kaiba of all people would teach you a few things."

"How do you know about that? Wait, this shit is being televised as we speak!" Jou screeched. _'Oh man, if Seto's company get ruined because of him blabbing about our relationship, I'm dead!'_ Otogi could laugh at seeing the worry just permeating off of Jou._ 'Hook, line and sinker.' _He flipped a few strands of hair from his face. "Well, to answer your question, think of Fairy Meteor Crush as the magic version of Mad Sword Beast's effect."

"Oh man, oh man, oh man..." Jou whimpered. "Yes, you have every right to worry, Katsuya. Now Gradius, destroy his monster and the rest of his life points!" The ship flew forward, breezing through his monster before exploding in Jou's face, taking out the rest of his life points. He groaned as he looked down before the platforms moved back and he stepped off, returning back to his friends. Otogi did the same and brushed past the cheerleaders. "Jou..." Yugi whispered as he touched his friend's arm. "I can't believe I made such stupid mistakes. I was so much better than this. Maybe it was because I was fighting for something in Duelist Kingdom." he murmured.

"Now now, Katsuya. Don't weep. I'll make sure everything is smooth sailing for the both of you. And to start it off, I want you both to say one thing. And know that you can't go back on your word."

"Oh, and what's that, pretty boy?" Jou grumbled.

"Announce right here and now that you are breaking up with Seto Kaiba and Ruby Jewelstone and will now be dating me and my brother Jade." The others gasped and the girls whined, their hopes shattered for a date with Otogi or Jade. "What! You're out of your flipping mind! I'm not betraying Ruby for the likes of you!" Kaiser growled.

"It's part of the agreement. The whole world knows the deal and if you back out now, the people will forever know that Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiser Kasiya can never keep true to their word!" Yugi stepped forwards. "That's overstepping it, Otogi! We were all there to witness it! He has to do whatever you say but nothing in that deal say you could break off his relationship with someone else just to date you!" Yugi yelled. "Guess what, Yugi. What I say is an order and he has to follow it." he said before looking to Jou. "Now say it, Katsuya. You too, Kasiya." Jou clenched his fists tight before murmuring out the words.

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"I'm breaking up with Seto Kaiba to date you, Ryuuji!" he cried before collapsing to his knees, tears trailing down his cheeks. _'I'm sorry, Seto...'m so sorry...'_ Otogi smirked and walked over to him. "Good." He looked over to Kaiser. "Your turn."

"Like hell. I don't have to listen to you." Kaiser growled, crossing his arms. He jumped as a hand was placed on his shoulder. "But you do have to listen to me. Now say it or else." Jade hissed. Kaiser growled even more. "Kaiser, don't do it! Let's just get out of here now!" Myrrh said. Kaiser wanted so much to do so but he knew that, like Jou, was stuck to a promise that he would dread to keep. "I...I can't guys...Jou took the deal and I got roped into it. It will look bad for both of us if I backed out when he didn't."

"But Kaiser...what would Ruby think?" Aqua whispered.

"I think he knows where my heart really lies. I can't say the same for Seto but I know he'll see the truth if the way Jou is now doesn't prove it." he said before jerking his shoulder away. "I break up with Ruby Jewelstone to go out with you but dammit know this and know this well, I will make you go through hell for doing this to us." Jade laughed before jerking him back and wrapped something around his neck. "We'll see about that, sweetheart." he purred as he stepped back and around his neck was a collar. "What the fuck? Get this thing off me!"

"No can do. You might go running back. You're mine now just like Katsuya is to Otogi." Kaiser gasped as looked down, seeing that Otogi already did the deed and another collar was around Jou's neck but the other was too out of it to curse at the other about it. "That's enough! I think I watched enough of this to know that you stooped too low. I'm a man of honor but you two don't know honor until it slaps you in the face." Yami growled as he glared at Otogi. "Oh, so the big man finally steps up. And what are you going to do about it?"

"We'll duel and if I win, they will go back to Seto and Ruby." Otogi's eyes narrowed before smirking. "Alright. Seems this is a day of deals. Then my end is if I win, you will renounce your title as King of Games and swear on your life to never duel again! Also note that those two won't be going anywhere with you guys even when their time is up should you fail." Yami growled even more, eyes darkening in anger but a touch from Yugi brought him back. "Don't get angry, Yami. Just win and help Jou and Kaiser. Please..." he whispered. Yami nodded. "Ok, let's get this started."

"Not so fast, Yami. We're not going to play Duel Monsters. We're going to play a game of my own creation. Dungeon Dice Monsters." Otogi said.

"Fine with me. I will show you the true meaning of pain." Yami whispered as he looked to Jou and Kaiser. _'I will get you out of this. Just wait.'_

* * *

Seto slammed a fist onto the table before buzzing his secretary. "Cancel all my board meetings today. I have something important to take care of." he said before standing and grabbing his coat. "No one is stealing my puppy away from me." he hissed before leaving out the office, the TV still left on the channel that broadcasted from Black Crown. As he entered the elevator, he saw that Ruby was already inside. "You saw it too?"

"Yes and I'm pissed. That bastard Ryojin is not taking my little Kaiser. And I know you're not letting Ryuuji take Jounouchi not too long after finally admitting your love for him." Ruby whispered. "I know. We'll get them back and I know Yami will win." Seto murmured.

"That's a first coming from you."

"Hush. The only reason I say it because the fact that Jounouchi and Kaiser's feelings are on the line and he'll fight his damn hardest to get them out of this fucked up relationship they're trying to push onto them. Just remind me to reassure Jounouchi that he has nothing to worry about. Everything has been explained and this company will still stand tall despite our relationship." he said. "You got it, Seto." Ruby answered as they stepped out and headed to the car that Seto drove to work, now making a beeline for the Black Crown.

* * *

Zypher: Long chapter filled with drama, action and a very POed demon. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little number and the evilness that I just couldn't help but add into Otogi since I had the writer powers to change to deal he made with Jou big time. -whispers- Even though I might just sneak in an alternate dog suit idea just to rub salt in the wounds but don't take my words for it. -composes self- Don't kill me, kill him. -tosses Otogi into mob of readers- I'll shall see you all soon with another chapter, Seto and Ruby's appearance to save their lovers and the first half of Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Ta ta. -waves and runs out-


	26. Gaining the Upper Hand

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 26

* * *

From outside, you could see the groups of kids clamoring to the TVs set up in the windows that just broadcasted the entire match between Jou and Otogi along with announcing the match and deal that was now set up between Otogi and Yami. "Otogi might just beat him with his own game."

"Yami should be able to win, right? He did defeat Pegasus."

"But there are the rumors of him being a cheat. Guess we'll find out from this."

Back inside, they stood on opposite sides once more. "Remember the deal, Otogi. I win and both you and Jade will break up with Jounouchi and Kaiser and let them return back to their real lovers." Otogi's eyes narrowed.

"Fine, and if I win, they stay and you never will play Duel Monsters again and you give up your title as King of Games."

"Agreed."

Otogi smirked. "Alright then. Let's get this game started!" he said as he snapped his fingers and the arena started to change. The original dueling ring lowered into the floor, making room for the checkerboard field. The dueling platforms were brought back in and replaced with an entirely new one. "Hope you can keep up, Yami. Cause I won't be playing easy for beginners." he said as he stepped up before looking over to Jou. "And why not have my lucky charm next to me while I fight. Get over here, puppy." he called. "You heard him." One of the girls hissed as she shoved Jou over to him. He glared at the girls before making his way over and looked to Otogi with darkened eyes. "Now don't give me that look. You need a person who's more fun than business." he said as another cheerleader brought over a chair and Jou sat down. Yami growled. /He's so broken up on the inside that he's following Otogi's orders like a trained animal./

/Then you have to save him, Yami. You just have to./ Yugi pleaded.

/I will but I might not be the only one that has a hand in this.../ he said with a soft smile before stepping up to the new platform. "Huh?" Yugi blinked for a moment before looking up to Aqua. "What do you think he means by someone else having a hand with this?" Aqua looked down to him and smiled. "You'll see soon enough."

Yami stepped up to the platform and noted that the layout looked pretty simple but that changed when he was revealed his deck as he could call it. "Well, looks like you're already confused so let me explain. What that is before you is your dice pool. Select fifteen of them to use and you're set. Now I would give you some tips but I wouldn't want to make this too easy on you but being such a gaming master, I'm sure you can figure out what's best for you." Otogi said with a devious smirk. Yami gave a growl before looking down to his selections again. _'So many different colors and symbols. This will be hell to figure out which ones are the best...'_ he thought to himself. Otogi tapped his foot lightly as a hand moved to rest on Jou's head. "Come on now, we don't want to leave the public waiting."

Yami hissed angrily before nodding as he selected his dice and nodded to Otogi. "Good. Now as I'm sure you guessed, your dice are like you dueling deck and as such, you'll have to shuffle them like so." he spoke as he tossed them into the dice port on the side. Yami did the same and looked back to Otogi. "Now that wasn't so bad now was it? Now the dice automater will shuffle your dice and it will come out in groups of three on the other side. You will get three dice for each round and whatever you don't use will be saved off to the side." he explained as the machine did its work and brought out three dice for both. "Now how you score, you ask? Well we have these things called heart points. Only thing is you get three. Once you lose them, it's game over." he said before smirking. "Now let's get this game started."

"But that's no fair. Yami is just learning still and he's already ready to start the game." Yugi whispered. "That's probably what he wants. The less he knows, the easier it would be for him to win and at the very least get the better deal out of what he made. He probably cares more about keeping Jou as his own than the fact that Yami will lose his title and be known to the entire world as a cheater." Aqua murmured. "This is a load of bull! Come on, Jou! Just leave that pansy ass and come back over here with us!" Honda called. "Sorry, buddy but Katsuya knows where his loyalties lies so just give up while you have the chance." Jade murmured from the side and Kaiser growled.

"You may have broken bro's spirit but I'm not letting you get the best of me." he whispered.

Otogi chuckled before taking his dice. "Now why don't I take my turn first." he spoke before making his roll. "Now I'm sure you're wondering about what's on the dice. Well they are called crests and each one does a different thing. Take a look at this green die here. The star pattern is for summoning. To summon your monster, you have to match up two of them with the three dice you roll. After that, all you have to do is dimension the dice and there you go." he said as he made his summon, revealing Ryu Kishin from inside the die. "So the monsters are held within the dice." Yami whispered. "But it looks like the dice are a part of the game as well." Myrrh pointed out as she looked to the field.

"Nice of you to point that out. As the die unfolds, it creates a path for my monsters. As long as I have successful summons, I can create my path and once it reaches your side, I'll be able to target your heart points." Otogi explained as he started petting Jou's head which caused the other to slip further down his seat. Yami growled slightly before smirking a little. _'At least I know for a fact that Otogi didn't consider one factor of this entire bet he had with Jou...'_ he thought.

"Well...I'm waiting. It's your turn, Yami."

"I know that. Just remember the deal, Ryuuji." Otogi smirked. "Oh, we're on a first name basis now? Well I know but that's if you win." he answered as he moved his hand down to tug at the collar. "But as long as I'm in the lead, this won't be coming off anytime soon." Kaiser growled before shoving Jade away while he wasn't paying attention to him. "I know he'll win and once we're free from these chains, I will pound both ya faces in for this!" he growled before flinching as he realized Otogi's cheerleading posse surrounded him.

"Bad dog! Remember who your master is!" One spoke.

"Yeah!"

"Oh zip it! I have no master in this room that deserves my loyalty any more than Ruby!" Kaiser snapped before yelping as he was tackled down by them. "Guess they think otherwise, puppy." Jade said with a smirk. Yami looked over to Kaiser before turning back to Otogi with a glare before tossing his dice but to his misfortune, none of them matched. "Well look at that, none matched. Well you might be having worse luck from here on out since you probably picked nothing but high level dice. I must've forgotten to mention that to you." he said and Yami hissed angrily. "Damn you..."

"Now, now. No need for hostility but at least I can give you another tip about the crest layout on the dice. There are six in total; summon, movement, attack, defense, trap and magic. The amount of times a crest appears on the dice depends on the level. Remember my summon die? That was a level 2 die which had 3 summon crests on it, making it easy for me to summon a monster. But the easier it is to summon, the weaker the monster. Now take a look at your dice." Otogi spoke and Yami did so. "Shit...they only have one summon crest..." he whispered.

"As I'm sure you noticed, you only have one which makes it much harder to summon a monster but should you be able to succeed, it would've been a powerful monster." he said with a grin. "That's no fair! All this dice level shit makes it totally unfair! You should restart the game so Yami can have a better advantage!" Honda yelled. "If it were someone else, maybe. But this is the king of games we're talking about. He'll be perfectly fine." Honda sneered at Otogi before looking down. Otogi scratched Jou's head lightly as he was given his next set of dice. He took them before making his dice roll, getting another pair of summon crests. "Good, another summon and another path to your heart points." he murmured as he summoned Yaranzo onto the field. "And since I almost have a movement crest at my disposal, I'll make Yaranzo advance even closer over the dungeon path. And here's a little tip to remember, whatever crests you don't want to use can be saved in your crest pool to be used for later."

Yami only nodded as his next set of dice came and he grabbed them before giving them a roll. _'Let's hope that by some luck, I can get something out before Otogi destroys everything.'_ he thought. Nothing still and he growled as Otogi smirked. "Still nothing? This might just be the easiest game I could win with the best prizes waiting for me when its done." he said as he took his dice and rolled them. He gained another two summon crest and brought out Gator Dragon before advancing him forward. Yami growled as he looked over to Jou before taking his dice. "You may think so but don't think you'll have him for long." he muttered as he rolled his dice and got two summoning crests. "Finally..." he whispered, relived.

"Not so fast. I applaud you for rolling two summoning but I laugh because they're not the same levels. Nice try." Otogi spoke. He took his next set of summoning dice and smirked. "Well look at that, level four summoning dice. Well you didn't have a good chance at it so let's see how I roll." he said before rolling the dice and to Yami's misfortune, he got another summon. "Very nice. Looks like lady luck is on my side now. I mean come on, four summons in a row." he said as he set the dice and from within was a chest. "And before you start wondering, this is an item summon but we'll talk more about that later." He growled before taking his next set of dice and rolled and missed once more.

"My, my...at this rate, he'll have him beat before he can get a monster on the board. Oh well, that means more good things for us." Jade said with a smirk as he looked down to Kaiser. "So you best start to get use to me." Kaiser growled and moved away from him. "Not on your life." he hissed before looking up as he heard the door slam open. Seto glared at Otogi and then looked down to Jou. "Katsuya!" he called and the other looked up, his gaze showing his helplessness. "Katsuya..."

"I got this, Seto. I will win this and get Jou away from him." Seto glanced up to him and nodded. "You better or so help me..." Otogi glared at the intruder before smirking. "Well you best give up, Kaiba. He's not coming back. Yami here seems to be having worse luck than usual today." he said as he picked up his dice. "Once I win, Jounouchi will be mine and you can say your last goodbyes."

"Like hell I will. He will never bow to you. He is stronger than he looks and I respect that of him. As long as he knows he has a chance to get away from you, he'll keep on fighting to come back to his real lover." Jou heard him and he blinked before calling out to Seto. "Seto! Please help me out here!" Otogi growled and smacked him. "You be quiet! If he interferes, I'll end this game with Yami as the loser and he'll lose his title and you seal your fate." Jou whimpered before looking back to Seto. Otogi looked back to Yami who was growling once more. "Oh stop. You know that bad dogs need to be punished when they speak out of turn. Now let's get back to the game." he said before rolling the dice, getting another summoning.

"And luck is still on my side. I summon 13th Grave." he said as the path opened and the monster appeared. "Only a couple steps away before I reach your hearts points." Yami sighed before glancing down to the board and then the dice that was presented to him. _'So many fates ride on this one roll. If I don't get something fast, things will go downhill from here.'_ he thought before rolling the dice. _'Please give me a summon!'_

Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Yami watched the dice roll. One stopped, landing on a movement. The last two continued to roll, one stopping on a summon crest. Yugi prayed the second was another summon crest. Otogi's eyes narrowed as he watched. The last die finally came to a stop and he smiled, seeing it was another summon crest. "Got it." he whispered before summoning the dice. Otogi growled and Jou smiled. This was the beginning of the comeback. "I summon Mighty Mage to the field. Looks like your power surge is over, Ryuuji." he said. "Now I'll access a movement crest to move my mage up one space and take out your 13th Grave. Go Lightning Staff!" The mage moved forward and faced the other monster and shot a bolt of lightning at it, destroying it easily. Kaiser cheered and the cheerleaders frowned. "Now we're getting somewhere. Once Yami gets a monster out, Otogi's a dead man." Kaiser said.

"But can we really hope that he'll get this win..." Myrrh questioned softly.

"I know he can win. Don't give up on him." Yugi whispered. "He still has a ways to go but we shouldn't give up on him just yet." Aqua added as he continued to watch the battle. Otogi clapped mockingly, eyes still narrowed. "Good job on getting a monster out but you still have a long way to go if you want to catch up to me." he said before taking his next set of dice and gave them a roll. He got two more summoning crests and he laughed. "Guess that's one more monster to catch up with." he said as he set the monster.

"Ah, Blast Lizard. He may have some low level stats but don't be fooled by that so easily. He has a nice ability when exploited right, will be devastating."

"Special abilities, huh? Looks like another rule that Otogi conveniently forgot to mention." Aqua mumbled and snorted softly. It was Yami's turn and he took the dice and smiled. It was some level 2 dice. _'Looks like I didn't forget to add in a couple of these.'_ he thought before making the roll and sent out Winged Dragon. "Now you have another monster to contend with."

"Sure...but not for long." Otogi whispered as he rolled the dice he grabbed. It was two magics and a movement. "Failed to get a monster?" Seto questioned from the sidelines.

"Who said I wanted to get a monster. If you were paying attention, I said I played Blast Lizard to make use of his special ability at the right time. And that time is now. He needed four magic crests to activate it and I already had two so two more is all I needed and I got it." he said. "Now, I'll use my movement crests to get into position then activate his special ability with my magic crests." The bombs held in the Blast Lizard's hand lit and he tossed them up over the Winged Dragon. They exploded on contact, taking the dragon with them. The cheerleaders cheered and Kaiser grumbled. "Where's some damn earmuffs when you need 'em..."

Yami growled before taking his next set and rolled them but got nothing. Otogi grinned and rolled his dice, getting another summon. "Wonderful. A Level 3 summoning. I'll bring out Dark Assailant." he said as he set the die and brought out the monster. "And to get the chance to end game before you can do something, I'll use two movement crests to get Blast Lizard and Gator Dragon within striking range." Yami frowned and Otogi chuckled. "Well, it's your turn, although I don't know how you can pull off a good move to save yourself. I mean, even I can figure something out from this layout and I'm the one that created the game with a little help from my dear brother."

"What? You two created the game?"

"Well duh. Why would we be so good at chance games and not create a game such as this?" Jade spoke and Kaiser spat off to the side. "The only thing you two are good for is a shitload of deception and foul play to get what you want." Jade chuckled before jerking the collar he wore, making Ruby hiss angrily. "So says you. But yes, we are the creators while Otogi is the champion. He won't lose to a newbie like him. Besides, if it wasn't for Yami here, we would've been known as the second best game creators next to Pegasus. You see, his defeat ruined everything for us. And if you want to know, here's the story."

"We dedicated our lives to the game of Dungeon Dice monsters. I worked on the gameplay while Otogi fine tuned everything else and corrected any mistakes that he found. After we finished, we couldn't help but feel proud off the game. It was truly a remarkable find. So Otogi decided to send it to the one person that mattered, Pegasus himself. After the proposal was sent, we waited for anything to come from him but nothing. But to our luck, something finally came from Pegasus. He told us to come to his island to talk about the game. Of course my brother was ecstatic over the news. So we left and got to Duelist Kingdom to meet our idol. When we met him, he immediately challenged Otogi to a game of Dungeon Dice. Now we knew he was an amazing player but for a first-timer, he was phenomenal. I mean he absolutely thrashed Otogi in his own game that he created. He enjoyed himself and would gladly help endorse the game and we agreed before we left. He told us he would draw up the documents after he finished hosting a tournament that he was holding. The very same one that you all headed to." Jade explained before glaring over at Yami.

"We haven't been able to contact him since. All that hard work we put into this game was all for nothing and it's your entire fault!" Kaiser stood and glared to him. "You listen here! Apparently you never saw that man's true colors like we did. We went through hell in that tournament!" he growled. "Sit down and shut up!" Jade hissed. "Guess I need to teach you some manners once this game's over."

"I believe in Yami to win against Otogi!"

"You better think again!"

Ruby growled even more and would've gone over there to teach Jade a thing or two but was held back by Seto. "Let me go, Seto..." he whispered. "Don't do it. Put your faith in Yami for now. If he fails, then we'll make our move." Ruby sighed before nodding. "Listen to me, Ryuuji...your hero worship of Pegasus has blinded you to the truth. What Kaiser speaks of is true." he said but was interrupted by Otogi.

"No, _you _listen. I am going to defeat you and expose you for who you are. A cheater and a fraud."

"Well let's see if you can achieve this foolish goal then." Yami whispered as he took his dice and rolled them, gaining a level 3 summoning. "Alright, I unlock Thunderball!" Otogi only chuckled as he looked to the monster. "Thunderball, huh? He has some poor stats so he won't be of much help..." he said. _'Unless he figures out his special ability but I'll have him beat before he can learn it.'_ Otogi took his dice and rolled them, smirking as he got two movements and an attack crest.

"Great. Now it's time to finish you off. I'll position Gator Dragon and Blast Lizard into attacking range." he said as the two monsters moved up close to Yami's heart points. "Oh no..." Myrrh whispered.

"They've gotten up to Yami's heart points. If he doesn't do something fast, he's a goner." Honda said.

"No, he can't lose...not here." Kaiser whimpered. "Come on, Yami! I know you can pull something off!"

"Not likely. Now Gator Dragon, attack him with Swamp Fire Blast!" The dragon roared before unleashing its attack on Yami, taking out one of his heart points. "One heart point down and two to go but that won't last for long. My monsters are in position and once the next round comes up, I'll destroy you. And since lots of people are watching this broadcast, they will watch as you retire from Duel Monsters in shame and be known as a cheater."

"He can't lose...not here..." Yugi whispered as he looked over to Yami. _'There's has to be something you can do, Yami. If you don't, it will be all over for you and both Jou and Kaiser.'_ Yami could feel Yugi's sadness filtering through the link and growled.

_'Indeed. I need to figure out something and fast. Otogi already has more heart points, monsters and dungeon path compared to me. And said monsters are already in a position to attack again. Hopefully these dice can grant me some luck before I lose more than just my position as an honest duelist but how can I beat a man at his own game?'_

* * *

Zypher: -wipes brow- Whew, that took a bit of time to get out. But there you have it. Another chapter with Otogi being an ass, Yami finally getting onto the board and action, action and more action. Well I have two episodes loaded [leaving with a bunch of tabs -laughs-] so more shall be uploaded soon but hope you enjoyed this one and please, feel free to beat up Otogi and Jade. Just leave 'em alive since I still need them. -chuckles before running off with a wave, leaving Otogi and Jade behind in her dust-


	27. Emotional Rollercoaster

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 27

* * *

The cheerleaders started up again and Kaiser growled as he sat there, at least until he heard his name in the chant or insult to his ears. "Am not!" he growled, making the girls step back but that didn't deter them too much.

"Uh oh, we got a rabid dog!" One said.

"Maybe we should give him a muzzle." Another hissed. Kaiser flinched and shook his head quickly. "Uh, no thanks...if anything, Jade would find something useful with that..." he grumbled. Honda huffed before looking back to the field. "Man, I hope Yami wins this and get Jou and Kaiser both out of this situation. Looks likes this guy lives on humiliation and even after all he's done to Jou, no one would worry about his feelings since they're more focused on the duel." he murmured.

"Yeah. But the problem is do you really think Yami will be able to win this? I mean, sure, we should have faith in him but what if Otogi really got him pinned with this game?" Myrrh whispered. Aqua sighed as he looked to Yami who was now initializing the use of the help comp at the platform. "Maybe but even with little rules, Yami shouldn't have a problem." he said before looking over to Otogi. "But for him, if he knew the truth behind Pegasus, he wouldn't have such a vendetta against him, seeing as he blames everything that went wrong with him on Yami." he continued. Yugi nodded in agreement. "But I know Yami will win."

"He will! Come on, Yami! Win this and get us away from these two!" Kaiser called before he was shoved into the ground by the cheerleaders.

"Bad!"

"Dog!"

"Bad!"

"Got damn it! Get offa me! Jeezus you all are going to make me go insane!" Kaiser groused. He glared as they made funny faces at him and both Myrrh and Honda sighed. "How long do you think before he goes insane by cheerleaders?" Honda questioned. "Probably not long, too bad Jade holds the leash around here." Myrrh murmured as the cheerleaders started cheering again. Yami continued to search and smirked when he found something promising. _'Now, all I need is for this to be a lucky roll.'_ he thought as he rolled the dice. He looked at the outcome and smirked. "Just what I needed." he said as he looked up to Otogi.

"Well, glad to know that some technology could be used by you." Otogi spoke.

"Yes and thanks to it, I know about Thunderball's special ability and I rolled two magic crests with a double value on them. Now I'll use three of them to activate the ability! Go Rolling Crush!" Thunderball reverted back into a ball before making a beeline at Blast Lizard, taking him out easily and Otogi glowered. "But I'm not done yet, I'll use three more magic crests from my crest pool to continue on with the attack so Thunderball, take out his Gator Dragon!" Still spinning, Thunderball aimed for its next target, taking out Gator Dragon. Jou cheered as he hopped from the chair. "Good going, Yami! Looks like we have a game now!" he said and yelped as he was dragged back into his seat. "Sit down and shut up." Otogi hissed before looking back to Yami. "So you got lucky but don't think I'll make this any easier for you."

Outside, Sugoroku came up to the shop, seeing the big crowd in front of it. "Looks like the new guy knows how to draw in a crowd. Maybe I should check out what my competition is up to." he murmured to himself as he walked over, crawling over people to reached the front and was instantly swooned by the images on screen of the cheerleaders. But as the screen shifted to Yami, he gasped. "What's he doing in there? Or for that matter, what's going on?" he wondered.

Back inside, Otogi watched Yami as he took his next set of dice. "Well, good to know that you're using the help screen to make your moves. I could've mentioned it earlier but it wouldn't be as fun as seeing you struggle with the game. But even so, even with that little handicap, you won't be able to beat the game, seeing as you're playing against one of its creators." he said and Yami huffed. "Even if you are the creator, even they can be beat. Perhaps Pegasus was the exception but you have a better chance at it." he mocked and Otogi smiled. "Why thank you. Nice to know you see things my way." he said before realizing what he said and growled. "Hey wait! The only way you beat Pegasus was by cheating!"

"Or maybe you're the one being fooled." he whispered and Otogi only glared as he rolled his dice, getting double movement crest and a trap crest. "Guess I'll save those for later." he said before giving the turn to Yami. He took his dice and rolled them. He got himself two summons and nodded. "Good, another summon. I'll set this dice and bring out the Knight of Twin Swords." he spoke as he set the dice and the monster appeared onto the field. "Well good for you but guess what, your monster isn't in striking range of mine."

"It doesn't matter. I'm saving my other crest in the crest pool for now." Otogi only shrugged with a soft laugh. "Well, at least you're learning how to conserve crests. That's good for a start." he murmured. Kaiser sighed, conking his head over the floor a couple times. "Crest this. Crest that. I'm totally lost with this nonsense." he muttered. Jade crossed his arms as he looked down to him. "It's simple, dear. When you roll dice, if you have any that you don't want to use, you can save them for later in your crest pool. That's Dungeon Dice rule number one." he explained and Kaiser let out a huff. Otogi watched as Yami used the help screen once more to look up some details of his newest monster.

_'Well, he definitely is a quick study. The things he learn takes him seconds to memorize while it took me weeks to perfect them. Guess he's a little more talented than I expected. Time to take this game into the big leagues and I have the dice to do it.'_ he thought as he took his dice. "My turn now." he said as he rolled his dice, gaining a pair of summon crests. "Good, just what I needed." Otogi set the dice and unlocked Battle Ox. "Well here's a monster to steer clear of. And now it's time to go on the attack. I'll use my four saved movement crests to move him towards your monster." he spoke as Battle Ox moved towards the knight, invading onto Yami's territory. "Now, take him out! Oh, and he also gains a 10 point bonus for engaging a battle with a warrior type monster." Battle Ox gave a roar as he went in for the attack.

"Knight! Quickly switch into defense and block the attack!" Yami called and the monster switched into defense, catching the axe of the Battle Ox. "There, it may have lost 20 hit points but at least he still remains on the field." Otogi growled, seeing that Yami has now taught himself how to defend with his monsters. _'He's learning too quickly! I had the advantage but now this is starting to end up being an even game!'_

"Now, let's see what I got now!" Yami spoke as he rolled his dice and nodded. "Now, I'll use these two attack crests that I've gotten to make a double assault on your monster's hit points." Otogi's eyes widened, seeing that Battle Ox only had 20 hit points to spare. The knight's swords gleamed as he did his attack, taking out Battle Ox. The cheerleaders whined and both Kaiser and Jou cheered, seeing that they might just have a chance for their freedom. Seto and Ruby smiled, now seeing a real game getting started and Yugi relaxed just a bit, knowing that Yami isn't having problems now.

"Now that Yami has some leeway, we really have a fair game. I'm sure Otogi can't pull out any punches this time." Aqua spoke. "Yeah, but there's still a long way to go so let's hope that Yami can win before Otogi can pull out something bad." Yugi murmured. Otogi snickered softly to himself, causing Jou to look up to him with just a slight hint of worry of what could be in store for Yami. "Did you really think that was all I had for you, Yami? Just take a good look at the dungeon paths. See how my red path reaches from my side of the board all the way to yours? As you can see, I've created a little blockade and as such, you can't advance your dungeon path anymore since the paths can't cross over each other! You're completely boxed in!" Yami gasped, seeing that Otogi was right.

"What's going on here?" Myrrh questioned as she looked to the board. Ruby stepped over and looked down to the field as well. "From what I'm getting, since two paths can't overlap, and Otogi's path covers the board from side to side, Yami can't advance his path anymore, leaving him with no way to get to Otogi's hearts." he said and she nodded, now understanding and seeing the bad part of the situation. "So you're saying I'll be stuck like this forever!" Kaiser whined. "Looks like it. And your buddy over there is looking like he's ready for an early retirement." Jade said with a smirk, grabbing hold of Kaiser's collar again. "No way! There's has to be another way!" Jou hollered.

"Well, there is but that depends if he's willing to brave it." Otogi spoke as he looked up to Yami. "He can always try to cruise on through my path but along the way, he has to contend with my monsters."

"Really? His monsters would be pulverized at that rate." Honda murmured.

"That's the point, spiky." he said as he took his dice. "But for now, it's my turn." he whispered and took his dice. His grin widened as he looked up to Yami. "Well, well, look what I have here." he said, holding up a die.

"Looks like a black die." Yami murmured.

"Yes but not just any black die. This is a rare black die and I'll show you just what's in store for you with it." Otogi rolled the die, getting exactly what he wanted. "Good, a pair of summons. Now let me show you the power of the rare black die, Yami!" he called as he set the die on the board, Jou standing just slightly to see what was going on. As the die opened, there laid a dark vortex there. "Behold, the Warp Vortex."

"Warp Vortex?" Yami murmured as he looked to the new addition on the board. "You can't guess? Well I'll tell you then. The dark hole is a special path that can be only opened up with a rare black die. You need two of them to complete the path. This will allow my monster to be able to get to you much easier once the path is complete. Now, the fun part is I have a spot all ready for the second, and it lies right behind your defenses and into your territory!" he said and Yugi gasped. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes. Now the only thing standing between him and defeat is how long it takes for the automater to give me another black die." he said and Yami growled as he took his dice. "We'll see about that." he whispered as he rolled the dice, gaining a pair of summons and brought out the Strike Ninja. "Good enough. With him on the board, his high speed gives him the ability to move three spaces for each movement crest I use." Otogi only laughed. "High speed? That will only do so little." he mocked. The dice came out and he looked down, smirking. "And guess what I have here?" Jou looked to his hand and gasped. "Shit! He has the other black die!"

"Right! And now all I have to do is complete the warp path and this game is won." Otogi said almost gleefully as he rolled the dice. But as they stopped, Jou gave a relieved breath. Otogi lucked out this time for he didn't get a successful summon on this roll. He sighed before crossing his arms. "Ah well, guess I got a miss this time but don't get too cocky for I'll get another chance." Yami snorted slightly as he dice came out and he went to grab them when he saw what one of them were. He smirked sharply and looked back to him. "I found a nice little hole in your plans, Ryuuji." Otogi perked up when he heard this and gaped when he saw what Yami had in his hand. "A black die!"

"Correct! Now go!" he called, rolling the dice. He got a successful summon and grinned. "And now, I'll play another warp vortex, leaving me with the easy access to your heart points." he said as the die opened, revealing another vortex, completing the path. "Now, Strike Ninja, jump into the vortex!" The monster obeyed and quick on his feet, the ninja advanced, jumping into the vortex. "No! No!" Otogi hissed as the monster appeared on his side of the board. "Yes! Go Yami!" Jou cheered.

"Strike Ninja, attack his Ryu Kishin with Stealth Blade Slash!" Yami called and the monster attacked, looking seemingly as it did nothing until the monster was split in half and destroyed. "Yes! I knew Yami wouldn't cave in just yet!" Honda cheered and Kaiser grinned as he looked to Jade. "Why don't you take off this collar now? Yami has this won." Jade sneered as he jerked on the collar a little. "I don't think so. My brother won't lose here. So what if Yami has easy access? The kiddie gloves are off now and Otogi won't let him have the upper hand for long. You just wait." he growled before looking back to the field. Otogi growled before snatching up his dice and made a roll, hoping to get a summon but the roll failed him. "What?" Jou grinned as Yami took his turn, getting another set of movement crests. "Great, just what I needed. Now go, Strike Ninja! Advance towards his heart points and let's end this!" The monster made a dash towards Otogi's hearts points.

"Now, Lunging Claw Thrust!" The monster leapt high into the air, bringing out a couple of kunai and launched them at Otogi's hearts, taking one down and growled angrily while everyone else on Yami's side cheered. Otogi glared as him before smirking. "Well Yami, it's been quite a long time since anyone has taken out one of my heart points. Guess you deserve a pat on the back. But this will be short-lived." he whispered as he took his dice and rolled them, gaining a level 3 summoning. "Perfect. Now time to show you what happens when you make me angry." he snapped as he set the die onto the field. "I bring out my most undefeatable monster, Orgoth the Relentless!" he called as the powerful monster appeared onto the field. "Now, I'll use Orgoth's special ability and give him two magic crests to boost his power up to 30 and after that, I'll use two of my stored movement crests to move him in to attack your ninja!" The burly monster made its move, stopping before the ninja. "And now, I go in for the kill. Orgoth, attack with Diamond Blade Slash!" The monster roared, raising its sword to attack.

_'Shit...I better think fast.'_ Yami thought as he looked up something helpful about Strike Ninja. He got just what he needed and hurried to activate the effect just as Orgoth's sword crashed down onto the spot. "There. My problem is solved." Otogi whispered.

"I wouldn't be too sure. Take a look at the field."

Otogi looked down, waiting for the smoke to clear, and stepped back in shock. "What? He's still alive?"

"Yes. Just before Orgoth could kill my ninja, I used his special ability using a trap crest to have him escape battle damage and leave him unharmed." Otogi's hand shook in anger at the fact his attack failed and that Yami had initiated the perfect defense._ 'That bastard! He's making me look like a novice at my own game! I just need to remember he's nothing but a lousy cheat and I'll exposed him for it soon enough along with making him give up Duel Monsters for good. And on a lighter note, once this game is won, I'll have another little prize other than seeing him lose his position as a duelist.'_ he thought as he composed himself. Yami took his dice and made his roll before giving Strike Ninja the command to attack once more, taking out another heart point. Otogi growled and Yugi smiled.

"He'll win it. He'll finally end this nightmare and both Jou and Kaiser will be safe." Yugi whispered and Aqua nodded, wrapping a comforting tail around his waist.

"Time to end this." Otogi said as he rolled his dice before looking to the field. "Now, Orgoth, destroy that pathetic monster!" he called and Orgoth went in for the attack and Yami quickly looked to his crest pool only to see he had no more trap crests to use to activate Strike Ninja's ability. "Damnit..." he cursed as his monster was destroyed. "This ain't good..." Kaiser murmured and Jade smirked. "You got that right."

"Kasiya does point out the obvious. Sure you have one heart point more than I do but now, I have Orgoth and he's a much stronger monster than yours can handle. You were on the victory train but now you hit a dead end. You were the only person who has ever gotten me this far down but I won't let you make a fool out of me at my own game. This ends here and now once Orgoth invades your side and takes you out for good." Otogi said coldly and Yugi whimpered as he huddled closer to Aqua. "He has to win...please Yami, you have to win..." he whispered and Yami looked over to him.

"Don't worry, love. I will...I won't lose here...emotions are at stake and I'm not going to let them get their way." Yami whispered before looking back to Otogi, a determined gleam in his eyes.

* * *

Zypher: And another chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed for we're almost done with this little section. Otogi and Jade both will get what's coming to them soon. Anywho, I shall have another chapter up soon but until then, I'll see you later. Tootles! -runs off-


	28. Closing: Dungeon Dice Monsters

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 28

* * *

_'Damn, with my ninja gone, Otogi is getting the upper hand again...'_ Yami thought with a growl as he took the next set of dice laid out for him. _'I need to think of something and fast.' _He tossed the dice and looked at the results before nodding. "Alright, just what I needed. A movement crest with a double value. With it, I'll position my Knight to keep your monsters from my heart points." he spoke as he looked over to Otogi. The other only chuckled. "Nothing you do will save you, Yami. None of your monsters will be able to stand up to Orgoth's power." Otogi said as he rolled his dice and smirked when he got himself some movement crests.

"Now, Orgoth! Advance four spaces!" he called and the monster started moving, making its way every closer to the warp gate that will transport him to Yami's side of the board with ease. "Now, Yami, remember how you used that warp vortex to sneak your way onto my side? Now let me return the favor! Jump through the vortex!" Otogi called and the monster responded, stepping onto the warp spot. Kaiser bit his lip in worry as he watched from the sidelines. He wasn't the only one as the others watched as well.

"Oh no..." Yugi whispered.

"Prepare to see the end, Yami." Otogi hissed.

"Unlikely, you sniveling whelp. Unlike you, I have one more heart point than you and that alone gives me hope for the best." he said as he took his dice and rolled them. "Good. I'll use these movement crests to move Thunderball, Mighty Mage and Knight of Twin Swords into position to make a wall around my heart points." he said before ending his turn. Otogi laughed as he picked up his dice. "So I got the Duel King on the defensive now? Guess I'm much better than I thought. But they won't hold up for long." He rolled his dice and looked to Yami. "Now, I move Orgoth into attack range and I use a magic crest to increase his power by ten, giving him a grand total of forty. Orgoth is relentless now see the extent of his fury. Attack Thunderball now with Diamond Blade Strike!" Orgoth gave a roar as he sliced the monster easily and Yami growled as his first defense was lost.

"Must be hard to watch. You were so close and yet so far. You're going to lose everything and everyone will know of it." Otogi murmured, smirking, and Yami growled. "Shut up." he hissed. From the sidelines, Kaiser covered his ears in anger as the cheerleaders started up again and Jou sighed as he slumped in his seat beside Otogi. "Come on, Yami...I know you can win this..." Jou whispered softly. Outside, Sugoroku was thinking the same, having full faith in Yami's abilities. "Poor Yami...I give you props for getting this far as an amateur but there's no way a second rate hack like you could've beaten the great Pegasus. Now I'm going to expose you as the fraud you are!"

Yami hissed angrily as he took his dice and gave them a roll. He took a quick glance over to the help screen for something and nodded. "As my help screen states, Mighty Mage can attack an opponent from two spaces away. Go Mighty Mage, attack with Lightning Staff!" The mage nodded and leapt forward, staff gathering with magic as he made his attack. Otogi smirked once again. "I'll stop your attack by raising Orgoth's defense with a defense crest." Orgoth gave a roar as his defense increased as the attack hit, causing Mighty Mage to bounce back, doing little damage to the other monster. "Too bad, Yami. That attack only took off 10 hit points. Just barely a scratch."

"And with Orgoth having 40 attack, your Mighty Mage also takes some damage." Jade spoke from the sidelines. "So that leaves him with 20 hit points left. Enough to keep him standing." Yami murmured. "But not for long." Otogi took his next set of dice and rolled them. "Now Orgoth, move one space forward." The monster moved forward, placing him in range of Mighty Mage. "Now, Yami, Orgoth already has an attack strength of 40 but with six magic crests, I can increase it up by 30 which gives him more than enough to strike a fatal blow to your mage." Orgoth growled as his attack strength was increased from its special ability, giving him a grand total of 70 attack.

"Even with power behind you, with no strategy, that power is naught but an empty threat." Yami spoke and Otogi growled. "I'll prove you wrong! Now, demolish Mighty Mage with Super Diamond Blade Strike!" Orgoth roared and slashed down at the small mage, taking him out with ease. "No! That leaves him with the knight!" Myrrh said in worry. "And if he's destroyed, then its game over." Honda whispered. "It can't end this way." Aqua murmured.

"Where's all that beginner's luck you were having? Guess it all ran out. Better quit now to save yourself total humiliation by my monster." Otogi spoke and Yami growled as the dice came through the slot and he picked them up. _'Is he right? Dungeon Dice Monsters is a completely new game and I gotten this far but what if I can't win? I'll be failing Jou and Kaiser, even Seto and Ruby...'_

/Yami, please...don't think that way. You been stuck in tighter spots before. There has to be a way.../

/I know, Yugi. Let's just hope for a way./

"Hey, Yami, why don't you stop wasting my time here and surrender." Otogi spoke and the cheerleaders started going once more to a point were you could see Kaiser's eyebrow tick with anger. But before he could get a word out, another spoke up for him.

"You really are a pathetic nuisance, aren't you, Ryuuji?" Keara hissed before looking to Yami. "Yami, you've been through a lot and fought many tougher duelist than him. Even when you were stuck in a tough spot, what you need came for you at the right moment. Just because he's trying to rattle you with threats and promises that he think will happen doesn't mean anything. Just stick to what you believe in." she said and Yami looked to her before nodding. "You're right."

Kaiser chuckled. "Man, she got everything I was going to say right down to the wire."

"She is right. So what if this game has some fancy new rules. You've beaten Pegasus and even me, Yami. Don't let this fool win cause if you do, I'll never forgive you." Seto spoke as he looked to him. "I know, Kaiba. Don't doubt me just yet. I'll get Jou back for you. Same with you, Ruby." Yami said before glaring at Otogi. "Time to put you in your place." He gripped the dice more before tossing them and when he got the result, he gave a nod. "Alright, I move my knight two squares and then add four attack crests to the two I just rolled." he said as the knight moved forward to match up to Orgoth. _'Now, Orgoth has five defense crests, if this goes according to plan, he will be defeated.'_

"Now go, Knight of Twin Swords! Double Slash attack!"

The knight responded and went to attack Orgoth and Otogi growled. "You amateur! You think I'll let you get away with this? What you don't know is of Yaranzo's special ability which allows me to change whatever crest I have in my crest pool into a defense crest to shield Orgoth." he said as the monster combined the three crests into another defense crest before handing it over to Orgoth. "You bastard!" Jou hissed. "All fair in love and war, pup and I'm not losing you." Otogi growled as he looked down to him. Yami growled as Orgoth parried each of the knight's attacks. "Nice try but don't think I'll make things any easier for you. Just a couple more dice rolls and this game is over. You're finished."

Otogi took the next set of dice and and rolled them before looking to the board. "Now Orgoth, attack the Knight of Twin Swords!" Yami growled. "There isn't anything I can do to save him." Yami whispered as Orgoth attacked the weak monster, destroying him with ease. "Oh man, he's done for!" Honda whispered and Keara bopped him over the head. "He won't lose so easily and even if he did, he would go down fighting."

"I like to see him try!" Otogi said as he smirked. "He's out of monsters, out of places and out of time. His heart points are history!"

"You think you know me so well. You think that I would give up so easily. Well you're wrong and maybe by the time this game is over, you'll learn to not underestimate your opponents." Yami said and Otogi huffed. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" he murmured before waving his hands for Yami to take his turn. Yami rolled the dice and looked at his results. "So what'd you get?"

"No match."

Otogi chuckled. "See? You talk big but its not going to help you here?" he spoke as he took his dice. "Now watch as the master rolls the dice and schools you properly in this game." Otogi rolled the dice and smirked at his results. "Perfect. Two movement crests. Now Orgoth, move and position yourself right in front of his heart points!" he called and Orgoth moved to stand before Yami's heart points. "Now Orgoth, attack him and his heart points!" Otogi growled and Orgoth responded as he lunged for Yami, taking out a heart point which caused Yugi to gasp. "Just one more heart point left and then all will be lost to you. I'll avenge Pegasus and show everyone what kind of a fraud you are."

"Don't gloat so soon, Otogi. Once I summon a monster, then a fight will really be on." Yami said.

"Dream on! You don't have any other places to summon a monster! I control the board! I just like to see you figure a way out of this one!" he said as he glared over at the demon across from him. "Millions of gamers are watching right now, waiting for me to show you up like the liar and cheat you are. This is the moment of truth so you best hope you can find something." Yami looked to the dice in his hand, his final roll. If he fails this, he'll lose his right as a duelist and Jou and Kaiser to the hands of a relationship that surely wouldn't do neither justice. He could tell that Otogi and Jade were planning to use them not just to flaunt them around like trophies but also peeve Seto and Ruby and even as a corporate bigshots, messing around with Black Crown over something so trivial may give them a bad rep. _'Only one monster can save me now. I just hope that he's here...'_ he thought before tossing the dice. Eventually the dice stopped rolling and he was granted a level 4 summoning.

"Great job, Yami. You got a summon. Now the problem is just how are you gonna bring out your monster..."

"Oh but there is. You created the game so you should know every way." Otogi's eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me how to play my own game!" he growled. Yami chuckled as he took the dice. "Then let me show you." he said as he placed the dice on the board. Otogi watched, waiting to see him fail but as the dice fell in placed, he gasped. "No way! It fell in place perfectly! The summoning was completed!" he gasped. "Exactly. Now let me introduce you to my star monster, the Black Magician!" he said as the monster appeared. "Even in Dungeon Dice, Black Magician will always come to the call of his master." Aqua whispered and Yugi nodded, smiling. Otogi growled as he clenched his teeth. _'I can't believe it! He was able to summon his favorite monster! Maybe I was wrong...about him and Pegasus...'_ He shook his head defiantly and growled. _'No! He cheated and I will expose him for it!'_

"Now, I'll move the Black Magician four spaces and use his 40 attack to take down Orgoth!" he said as the magician moved to intercept the monster. "Now, Back Magic attack!" The magician raised his staff and attacked Orgoth. With only 20 defense, Orgoth was destroyed. "Now, your strongest monster is gone, Otogi." Yami spoke. Otogi growled again before looking at the board._ 'Keep smiling. It will make it so much better once I wipe it off your face. You may have defeated Orgoth but that doesn't mean I ran out of tricks yet.'_ Otogi thought. "This comeback end here and now!" he called as he tossed the dice and glanced at the results before looking back to the board.

"I move Dark Assailant forward!" With a laugh, the monster hopped forward before landing on the chest that was summoned around the start of the game. "What's that skull head up to?" Kaiser questioned as he watched. "Remember how I told you about item summoning, Yami?" Otogi questioned and Yami gave a slight nod. "Well now its time to give you that surprise. Dark Assailant, open the chest!" The monster leapt and soon, the chest was opened, revealing the item inside. Yami's eyes narrowed as he watched the smoke clear. "Meet Monster Cannon!" Otogi said as the monster appeared, Dark Assailant on its back.

"Monster Cannon. I'm afraid I know exactly what that guy is capable of..." Jou whispered. "You thought right, pup. Cause this will be the very monster that will take down Yami's Black Magician." Yami growled and Jou whimpered. "What? Do you not know what Monster Cannon is capable of, Yami? Well as its name state, it shoots a monster instead of a cannonball. And today target is the Black Magician!" he said with a grin. "Now Monster Cannon! Ready!" The monster knelt down as Dark Assailant readied itself in the cannon. "Aim!" The cannon lowered, targeting Black Magician. "And fire!"

"Not on your life! I activate Black Magician's special ability!"

"You what!"

"You heard me! I conceal my magician with Magical Hats!" he called as the hats appeared, concealing the magician. "Feeling lucky today, Otogi? My magician is concealed under one of these hats and you only have one shot to get it right." Otogi sneered as he listened. "Your little parlor tricks aren't going to work! Monster Cannon, attack the Black Magician underneath the second hat from the left!" he called and the cannon hissed before shooting out the Dark Assailant to hit the designated hat. It hit and Otogi waited for the smoke to clear and when it did, the spot was empty. "No!"

"You missed! My Black Magician is safe! I thank you for granting the Black Magician the same abilities that he has in Duel Monsters!" Otogi growled before commanding Yaranzo to return to his original square. _'I'm not losing my advantage! I'll strengthen my defenses and once Black Magician is gone, he's a goner!'_

"You can run but it won't get you anywhere." Yami hissed as he tossed the dice. He smirked as he looked to the board. "I'll use the two magic crests I just rolled to activate another one of Black Magician's special abilities! The Mystic Box!" The box materialized onto the field around the magician and soon, swords appeared and inserted themselves into the box. "And what are you gonna do now? You just skewered your own monster!"

"Oh how little you know. Take a look at the field!" Otogi looked down and when the box opened, he gasped as he saw Yaranzo in the box where the Black Magician once was. "No! Yaranzo!" he cried as the Black Magician came out unharmed from the other box. The magician smirked, waving a finger as if to keep his secret and Otogi watched in horror as the events played out. _'I was doing so well! I had the advantage! How can I be beaten in my own game!'_

"Now, Otogi, my Black Magician is in perfect striking range! You had me on the run but this goes to show you to never call me a liar and a cheat!" Yami growled as he commanded the Black Magician to attack. With another Black Magic attack, Otogi's last heart point was gone and the game won. Jou stood up from his seat and cheered while the others sighed in relief. "He did it! He made it through!" Yugi cheered as he hugged Aqua and he nodded. "With so much at stake, he was willing to fight his hardest." he murmured. Jade growled before Kaiser stepped in front of him. "As of now, the deal's off, I'm not going to be your little pet any longer." Jade's ears flattened back in anger but went to remove the collar. "Don't think this is over, little vixen. Ruby doesn't deserve a gem like you."

"As if! Just stay away from me!" he said before running off back over to Ruby, leaping into his arms. "I'm so sorry! I never want this to happen ever again." Kaiser whimpered and Ruby nodded. "It won't...I won't let this happen again..." Ruby whispered. Outside, the people that watched the duel from the front of the shop was praising Yami for his win and believed him to be the true king of games. Otogi sighed before looking down to Jou and removed the collar from him and the other ran off to go see Seto. He watched before looking to Jade as he walked over. "Come on." he whispered and the two headed for the office. Yami watched them before following. "Stay here, Yugi." he said as he walked past.

"Where you going?"

"To have a little talk."

* * *

"Dammit! My store is ruined! No one will want to play my game with me looking like such an insensitive jerk! I was so sure I was going to win..." Otogi murmured. "I know. But I guess it's true what they say. He really did win fair and square." Jade murmured and Otogi sighed but nodded. "Guess we should pack it in." Otogi looked up as he heard the door open and lowered his head down when he saw it was Yami. "Why are you here? Coming to rub it in?" he grumbled. "No. I came to talk to you. You accused me of lying and personifying Pegasus as a hero but you really didn't know what he was capable of. I saw what he was truly and I wish you would believe me. He was a good man but had a terrible ambition." he explained. Otogi sighed. "I guess you're right. I may not know but chances are your experiences with him was different than mine. But it doesn't matter now. After today, my game shop is history."

"Don't think that way, Otogi. Dungeon Dice has the potential to be a good game. Even though you were showing a bit of a nasty side during the game, I'm sure people would be interested more about the gameplay of this game." Yugi said as he and his friends along with his grandfather who was able to make his way inside. Otogi looked over to them. "Really?"

Jou crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah. I don't like you but the game looks like a nice change from Duel Monsters." he said. "Yeah, I wouldn't actually mind learning the game myself." Honda said. "Sheesh, you're going to let us off the hook that easily?" Jade questioned. "Not really but we might as well give you a second chance to redeem yourselves. But do something stupid like that again and we may reconsider." Yami spoke but Yugi nudged him. "Be good now...the game's over..." he whispered. Yami huffed and nodded before looking to Otogi once more. "But all things aside, let's leave the fighting on the battlefield. Alright?" he said, holding out his hand. Otogi looked up to him before nodding and shaking his hand. When he pulled back, he was holding two heart shaped pendants. "What are these?"

"A little gift to show the bond we share. We all have one." Yugi said, showing Otogi his. He nodded before a message popped up on the screen of his laptop. He turned to it and started typing a few keys before smiling. "Hey, I2 did send a contract! They want to take Dungeon Dice Monsters global!" he said happily. The others smiled and nodded while Seto and Ruby stayed passive in the background. "Well, looks like that dream of yours is coming true." Myrrh spoke.

"Yeah but if it wasn't for Yami setting me straight, I probably would've done much more damage than intended." Otogi murmured. "Yeah...just try looking for a decent girl next time." Jou mumbled. "What can I say, you were a fine catch. Too bad I didn't see you first." he said and Jou growled before moving back to Seto's side. "But all in all, you shouldn't underestimate your opponents. Sure you may have created a game and know all of its rules but that doesn't mean that your opponent wouldn't figure out things just as fast. Games should be enjoyed and everyone to have fun, not for vengeance since it will only make you feel worse in the end." Otogi nodded to this.

"Yeah, I understand that well now. Thank you."

* * *

Zypher: And that's it for that. About time I got my arse in gear to get this chapter out. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little segment and now we're off to Battle City! I'll shall see you there later! Ja ne minna! -runs off-


	29. Mysterious New Force

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 29

* * *

It was another warm sunny day and Yugi was ready to leave out for a game being held at school. Outside, Myrrh made her way to the game shop, seeing Sugoroku outside sweeping. "Morning, Mr. Motou. How are you today?" she asked, smiling softly. "I'm doing quite fine. You must be here for Yugi, I'll call him for you." he said before looking up to where his bedroom window was situated. "Yugi! Myrrh is here! Come on down!" he called before looking back to Myrrh. "Would you like a drink?"

"No thanks, we're already late enough." she answered.

Inside, Yugi picked up the puzzle, now sporting a new chain and smiled. "This should keep the puzzle in safe hands." he said and Aqua smiled. "Indeed it will. The strap it was on before was old and withered and probably would've snapped, leaving anyone to grab hold of it." he said and Yugi nodded, looking to the window when his grandfather called for him. "Well I better get going."

"You sure you don't want us to come along?"

"No, no. I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll call you and Yami through the puzzle if I need you." he said before waving to him as he ran out the door and downstairs. He walked out the front and Myrrh nodded. "About time, you silly goose. Let's get going." she said and he nodded before he ran off alongside her. "If you two get done with the game early, you should come back and help me do some chores around here!" Sugoroku called.

* * *

As they walked, Yugi and Myrrh chatted. "So Yugi, do Yami and Aqua know what they are going to do about their memories?" she asked. "I don't know. I never asked them about it. I know they must be important since they want to know how they were sealed into the puzzle and became demons. All of that must be in their memories so fate must have some sort of course for us to follow to learn about them." he said and she nodded.

"I see."

"Futures told, fates unfold. Step up boy and have your future revealed." a man spoke from a fortune telling table as they walked by. "Hmm?" Yugi looked over to the table before walking over. "Can you really?" he asked and the male nodded. "Yugi, we don't have time for this. We need to get going."

"Hold on. I want to see if he can tell what I need to know." he said as he looked to the man. The fortune teller spotted the Sennen puzzle and smirked just a little. "In order to tell your future, I will need to hold a personal item. That necklace will do nicely." he spoke and Yugi held the puzzle protectively. "I don't know. I can't just give this to anyone." he murmured. "Then I'm afraid I can't read your fortune." he spoke. Yugi sighed before moving to take off the puzzle. "Yugi, I don't know about this..." Myrrh whispered.

"It will just be for a second." Yugi said as he handed the puzzle to the fortune teller. "Hmm, I think I see something." he murmured. "What is it?" Yugi asked.

"I see that this puzzle...belongs to me!"

The table was kicked over, knocking Yugi down along with it as the man ran into the alley. "My puzzle!" Yugi cried before standing and ran to chase after the man. "Yugi!" Myrrh called. "Go see about cutting him off, Myrrh! I can't lose the puzzle!" Yugi called back and she nodded before running off. As he ran through the alleyways, he came across arrows posted upon the wall. "He must want me to follow him. It must be a trap but without the puzzle, I can't contact Yami or Aqua." he murmured before running along the path indicated by the arrows. With Myrrh, she continued to run, planning to at least cut off the man somehow. She came across Ryou and Diamond on her run and Diamond was the first to blink.

"Myrrh, what's the rush?" she asked and she turned back to them. "Someone stole Yugi's puzzle! I'm trying to see about cutting him off! Since I found you two, you can go see about finding Jou, Kaiser and Honda so they can help." she said as she ran off. When her back turned to them, she never noted their dulled eyes as two shadows rose from the ground. "The puzzle can't be lost. We won't allow this, right Bakura?" Crimson questioned as he looked to him. "Of course not, Crimson. Come, we must borrow our dear hosts' bodies only this once." Bakura whispered. Crimson nodded as they returned to the shadows and soon, the appearance of Ryou and Diamond changed. Crimson gave a hiss before bringing out the Sennen Gem.

"My precious item of power, time to work your dowsing power for me again. Search for the puzzle." he whispered and soon, the gem glowed, revealing what almost look like a compass interface within the gem, and pointed an arrow in the direction they needed to go. "Let's go." Bakura said and he nodded before the two ran off. Soon, the reached the site where the two split off and Crimson sniffed around for a bit. "Hmmm, the scent still lingers. Heading into the alley." he said as he stood and held up the item which pointed the way and the two followed it. Bakura came across one of the arrows that led and the way and spat off to the side as he took it and flipped it direction. _'Sorry but I can have Yugi's pathetic friends following us so soon.'_ he thought as he followed behind Crimson.

* * *

Yugi eventually reached the end and found that an old warehouse was the end goal. "I feel like a rat running through a maze. But why would a thief want me to follow him?" he wondered softly to himself as he walked up to the door and pushed it open before walking inside. Everything was dark inside before he heard the voice of the thief. "Congratulations for coming all this way, Yugi! It's about time I found you as well as the Sennen Puzzle." the voice, now more distorted than before, spoke as a spotlight shined on the puzzle hanging from the side of the dueling platform. "Give me back the puzzle!"

"It won't be so easy, Yugi! I've been waiting a long time for this moment but if you want it back, we're gonna fight for it!" he spoke once more and Yugi growled as more spotlights shined down on him. "That's right, we're going to duel for it. The winner gets the Sennen Puzzle." the thief spoke as the lights came on, revealing the dueling stage. Yugi looked to the platform and then to the fortune teller before him.

"Who are you and what do you want with the puzzle?"

"My name is of no concern to you but I want the puzzle for its demonic properties. Seeing as the power within has already been released, I'll have to win the puzzle from you, as told by its ancient laws, to control the demons inside without putting myself in harm's way. Seeing as you already have them claim you as their mate, taking it by force to use it power will have them coming for me." the man spoke once more. "Its such a shame that you don't know much of the ancient as I do. So much can be explained to you but alas, this isn't my place to tell for my destiny will come to fruition the moment those demons become mine!"

"I don't want to duel you for my Sennen Puzzle." Yugi said.

"But it is in my possession and if you want it back, then you have to duel. As long as the demons are not aware that its not in your possession anymore, I have nothing to worry about with them coming to interfere before I can claim the puzzle as mine." he spoke and Yugi growled. "Fine, I accept your challenge." he whispered and the man smirked. "Of course you do." he said as he turned and walked to his side of the platform. Yugi gazed up at the puzzle, wondering to himself if he could make a connection. _'But if I try that and they come, who know if this man doesn't have a trap waiting specifically for their arrival?'_ he thought to himself as he headed onto his platform and both were set into position.

"Prepare to lose everything, Yugi. I've seen your future and its not looking pleasant for you."

"I won't lose." he whispered, taking out his deck from his pocket and set it on the table. After a quick shuffle, they were ready. Yugi drew his hand and looked at his cards. _'I just hope I can win this. I'm not as good as Yami but the stakes are high and I won't allow Yami or Aqua to be used for evil purposes.'_ he thought as he set Celtic Guardian down on the field. _'And the worse part is, I don't know anything about this duelist so who knows if I'll be able to win.'_

"I set this card in defense." His opponent spoke, setting the card down on the field. "What, too afraid to make the first move?" Yugi questioned. "No actually. It should be you who should worry about going on the offensive." the man spoke, smirking. He frowned as the other end his turn and he took his neck card. "Fine then. Go Celtic Guardian! Attack his face down monster!" he called and the elf swordsman went in to attack. "Perfect. Just what I wanted you to do. You activated my Cyber Jar." he said as the monster appeared and was destroyed by Celtic's mighty sword.

"Oh no!" he cried as his Celtic Guardian was soon destroyed.

"Yes, all monsters are destroyed from the field and it also requires us to draw five new cards." he said, getting his five and so did Yugi. _'Ok, new plan...'_ he thought, setting a monster in defense move. "Then I'll place mine in attack mode. Go Mechanicalchaser." he said, placing the 1850 monster out on the field. "And along with it, Ground Attacker Bugroth." he spoke, the two level 4 monsters appearing on the field. '_Wait a second...I know of only one player that uses nothing but machine cards.'_ Yugi thought and his eyes narrowed. "Show yourself...Bandit Keith!" he called and the man smirked as eh revealed himself to be the machine duelist.

_'So I was right...but why would he disguise himself and steal the puzzle? The last time I remember is that he lost again Jou at the Duelist Kingdom tournament. After that, we never saw him again...'_

"Why are you doing this?" Yugi questioned and Keith chuckled. "I'm not really Bandit Keith, I'm just speaking through him and controlling him like a puppet." the real culprit spoke, smirking from his location far from where they were. "Why?"

"Because I could use a new puppet to do my dirty work. And not only that but he's the perfect bait should you call your demons. They'll be taking his life and not mine, leaving me the freedom to still complete my destiny." he finished and Yugi growled. "Don't you see? You harness a great power. The power of the demons. I want that power along with the ancient secrets held inside the puzzle and I will stop at nothing until I get it." he spoke before something change in Keith's eyes. "Help me..." he whispered before he lost to the power controlling him.

/Ah, ah...you will never escape me.../

"Now, I play Machine King in attack mode. And his ability allows him to gain an extra 100 attack points for every machine monster on the field so that 300 more attack points for him." he spoke before commanding the Machine King to attack and it did, easily taking out Silver Fang. Yugi knew he was in trouble but he can't lost or else he'll lose something valuable to him. He set another card down in defense before giving the turn to Keith. "You can't win against my machine army. And when I put this machine monster down, will make it even more invincible." he said, setting Megasonic Eye onto the field, giving Machine King another 100 attack points. "Now Machine King, attack his face down monster!" he called and Machine King did as commanded, taking out his Stone Soldier.

"Can't you see yet? You're all out of options. Just give up." The possessed Keith spoke. Yugi tapped the console before him. _'I can't lose but Keith is a powerful duelist and I don't know if I'll be able to win against him like Jou did.'_ he thought and sighed. _'Will this be the end?'_

* * *

At the school, Myrrh found Jou, Honda and Kaiser and urged them to hurry after explaining the situation. "Sure, just lead the way." Jou said as they pulled out their regular shoes from their ockers and slipped them on before heading out. But before they could get off school grounds, a teacher stopped them. "Hey, where do you guys think you're going? You said you would help with the soccer game."

"I know, coach, but we have an emergency." Kaiser spoke before Honda stepped up. "Yeah, Myrrh's cat is sick and we have to run it to the vet." he said and Myrrh nodded, going along with their little lie. "Pease coach, I don't want to lose my precious kitty." she whimpered before breaking out the fake tears. That alone got the coach and he nodded. "I didn't know you little kitty was so sick. Go ahead and save that kitty!" he said and both Jou and Honda grinned before nodded. "Of course! Thank you coach!" they both said before they ran off, the coach yelling encouragement to them. "That wasn't cool."

"I know but this is a emergency so we had to lead Coach Morty astray. He's a big softie." Kaiser said as they ran. "Are you sure we shouldn't at least go and get Yami and Aqua?" Myrrh questioned. "We don't have time! And if we're lucky, they know a disturbance is going on and will come themselves." Jou said.

* * *

"Well, Yugi? Are you going to make a move or admit defeat? I suggest the latter to make it easy on you." Keith spoke. "I'll never give up! I have too much at stake right now!" he said as he drew his next card. "I place Curse of Dragon down in attack mode. And with him, Gaia the Firece Knight. And I finish up by using Polymerization, combining them together to create Gaia the Dragon Champion!" he called as the fusion monster appeared on the field. "Now go! Attack his Mechanicalchaser with Double Dragon Lance!" The dragon knight nodded as he ascended into the air, Mechanicalchaser following and as the two clashed, the one to go down was the machine, making Machine King lose 100 attack and Keith losing 750 lifepoints.

"Impressive. Now what if I put my weakest machines into defense to protect them from your dragon knight's attack? And then play Machine Conversion Factory to give all my machines 300 attack and defense points." he said and Yugi winced. _'Crud...that makes his Machien King more powerful than my Dragon Knight...'_ Yugi thought.

"And as you see, my Machine King has enough points to overpower your dragon knight. So attack, Machine King! Take out his knight!" The Machine King activated and raised its fists, shooting them out and taking out the dragon knight. "Now your offensive is over. I made sure to make Keith's machines invincible. So why don't you just give up and give me the puzzle now so you don't suffer a horrible defeat." he spoke as the person in control watched the duel from Keith's eyes. "Besides, it's the inevitable end to this duel." he whispered outside of his control. The other cloaked figure that stood beside him smirked. "And then the demonic and ancient power will soon be ours."

"Exactly."

Yugi growled as he drew his next card and nodded. _'Summoned Skull. I think I know what I can do but I'm going to need a magic card first.'_ he thought as he picked out the one he needed. "Your machines are impressive but they're still metal so I activate Makyu, the magical mist!" he said as he set the card down on the field and soon, the mist poured in. "You think a little mist will do in my machines?"

"No but it will cause them to rust." Yugi replied as the machines started to rust over from the mist. "And that also leaves them to be gigantic lightning rods as well. The perfect bait for this monster!" he continued as he set Summoned Skull onto the field. It gained a boosted attack from the drenched field and Yugi commanded the demon to attack Machine King, taking it out and knocking Keith's lifepoints down to 500. "Any more machines for the junk heap?"

"You little..." Keith growled. _'Hmm...he much more powerful than I thought. To duel with such skill when he hasn't touched the deck for a while except for dueling with his little friends.' the mysterious figure thought. But I've filled that deck with rare and powerful cards that you never seen before. I won't let you win this match so easily.'_

* * *

"So, they went down this alley huh?" Jou questioned once they reached the alley where Yugi and the fortune teller ran down. "Yeah. I just hope Yugi is alright. Yami or Aqua wont be happy if something bad happened to him." Myrrh whispered before they headed down, following the arrow before they met up with the confusion that was the rest pointed into various directions. "Oh great! How are we gonna find him now? Honda questioned.

"I don't know!" Jou said before getting an idea. "Kaiser~" he called and said person looked to him. "What?"

"Get the scent and maybe you can follow it."

"Do I look like a dog to you!" he hissed, crossing his arms. "No, no! We just need to figure out a quicker way to find Yugi and that was a good idea that I had at the moment." Jou said, rubbing the back of his head. "Please, Kaiser. This could be dangerous." Myrrh begged and Kaiser sighed before nodding. "Alright, alright. Give me a second." he said, sniffing the air before getting a scent and nodded. "Follow me, kiddies." he said before running off. The others followed close behind, unaware of the figure that watched them from above.

* * *

"So, Keith, gonna make a move or are you planning to give up?" Yugi asked as he looked to him. The other didn't say a word as his drew his card before revealing it. "I play the Graceful Charity card. With this, I'm able to draw three cards and I'm sure the three I'm going to get..." he murmured as the male raised a hand and with Keith, the arm hidden by the table moved slightly, the card holder dropping and moved to stealthily set the cards on the top of the deck. "Will be the ones I need to end this duel." he whispered as he drew them, discarding two. "Now I play there Zera Ritual magic card to bring out one of the strongest monsters in the game." he spoke as he set the card on the field.

"I never even hear of such a card before!" Yugi squeaked. "But I know a thing about rituals and even if you have the ritual, you need the right monster to accompany it and what are the odds of you getting that on that draw?"

Keith smirked as he raised up said card, making Yugi gasp in horror. "I'm not one to talk big. I'm going to end this duel and claim my prize and I won't let you continue getting in my way." he whispered. "Maybe now you'll understand what kind of power you're going up against. Now, by sacrificing my two machine monsters, Zera the Mant will emerge onto the field!" he said as the cards were sacrificed and the hulking monster appeared onto the field with a roar and a total of 2800 attack. "Now, Zera, attack the Summon Skull!" Keith called and the monster moved to attack, taking out the Summoned Skull, whose power returned to normal after its temporary boost.

Outside, Bakura and Crimson stepped onto the scene. "So, the puzzle is here, huh? And looks like we're not alone. Another presence outside of this area is here as well. Whatever is going on in there, looks like we have our work cut out for us." Bakura murmured. Crimson huffed. "As long as the puzzle doesn't fall into anyone else's hand but us, I don't care." he whispered before they went to make their way inside and keep the new presence from claiming the puzzle. Inside, Keith once again gained momentary control of himself and tried to call out for help once more but was silenced as the puppeteer controlled him once more. /Your resistence is futile. I can't allow you to break from my mind control before I win this match./ he spoke.

_'I need something to beat his monster with. If only I could contact Yami for guidance but I don't want either of them to come here and be captured.'_ Yugi thought. "Make your move, Yugi. Don't try and prolong the inevitable conclusion of this match." Keith spoke as he looked to him. Yugi hummed to himself as he drew his next card and when it wasn't something strong enough to take out Zera the Mant, he placed it in defense. _'Like a rodent caught in a rattlesnake's grasp. In his hands, that deck is weak!'_ the puppeteer thought as he drew his next card. "First I play Seiyaryu in attack mode." he spoke, setting the monster onto the field. "And then..." he started, the mechanism under the sleeves of the robe switching out a weak card for a better one that was all hidden from Yugi's sight. "I place this card face down."

Yugi was worried as he looked to the card face down and couldn't wish for anything more for something to intervene. "And I'm not finished yet. I play Stop Defense and bring your monster into attack mode!" he said and Yugi gasped as his dragon was revealed. "And now that its in attack mode, I can destroy it and do more damage to you. Go, Zera! Attack with Jagged Claw Strike!" he said and the beast snarled as it attacked, slashing the dragon to pieces and taking Yugi's lifepoints down to 400. Yugi growled but knew the duel was not over yet. But he had to do something before the puzzle was lost to whoever this person was that was controlling Keith. He drew his card and set the monster in defense and Keith could only chuckle.

"Your pathetic defenses make me laugh! Now Seiyaryu, attack his face down with Razor Flare Blast!" he called as the dragon snarled before taking to the air and attacked Yugi's Mystical Elf. "I also place two more cards face down." he said before switching Zera into defense. "If you're confused, this will be clear soon enough." he said as he watched Yugi's expression of confusion at his move. Yugi could only nod as he drew his next card. "Alright. I'll place this card face down then Black Magician into defense. Then I play Magical Hats to conceal him." he said as he placed the cards down onto the field. Keith smirked. "Oh, I should've seen that one coming...oh wait, but I planned ahead. I reveal my trap card, Magic Jammer! Discarding a card from my hand will allow me to cancel out the effect of your Magical Hats. So no more hiding for the Black Magician." Keith spoke. As the card activated, the hats disappeared from the field, revealing the Black Magician once more.

"But I'm not done yet. Now I activate Curse of Fiend. This handy card will allow me to change the position of the monsters on the field. So you see, there was a good reason why I put Zera into defense mode." he spoke as the magic did it work, flipping Zera and the Black Magician into attack and Seiyaryu into defense. "Now Zera, attack the Black Magician!" Ketih commanded and the monster made the attack.

"I won't alow it! I play Mirror Force to reflect your attack back at you!" Yugi said, flipping over the trap.

"Ah, ah, I will end that by playing Solemn Judgment!" Keith counter as he flipped the trap and the attack was reflected back to Black Magician once more. "How is that possible!" Yugi cried. "Solemn Judgment is another one of my rare and powerful cards. It allows me to cancel out the last card played by my opponent with a little sacrifice of half my lifepoints." Keith explain as the Mirror Force shattered, the returning attack taking out the Black Magician and leaving Yugi with a mere 100 lifepoints left. "A small price to pay to know that only one more attack will soon make the puzzle mine." Keith whispered, a grin on his face as the blank stare gazed at the trembling form of the boy before him.

_'I can't let this go on. Yami, Aqua, if you can hear me, please, rescue me...' _he thought, trying to use the last vestiges of their crumbling link to send the message to them.

* * *

Yami looked up in surprise and Aqua turned to him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Yugi. He's in trouble. I didn't even notice but the link has faded too much. He must not be wearing the puzze and if that's true then something must be going on." he said. Aqua examined the link and came to the same result before nodding and they both left, taking off for the city.

* * *

"Hmm, something from the shadows is here. A power I've never felt before." Bakura whispered as they landed on the roof, Crimson prying off one of the loose panels before they slipped inside silently. He moved over the scaffolding and looked down, seeing the dueling arena along with little Yugi and his dueling opponent. Crimson trotted up beside him and looked down as well. "Looks as if they're dueling for the puzzle and whatever this dark source is must be the one behind it all." he murmured and Bakura growled. "Well I won't allow this to keep going on. The secrets of the puzzle is ours to claim." he hissed.

"What should we do?"

"We watch and wait for the right moment." Crimson nodded and they both continued to watch the duel.

Yugi drew his neck card and gave a nod. _'Looks like a keeper.'_ he thought. "I place one card face down and a monster in defense mode." he said as he set the cards onto the field. Keith growled as he drew his next card. Again, he replaced a weak card for a better one before showing it to Yugi. "I activate Tribute to the Doomed."

"That's one of the rarest magic cards in the game!"

"Yes it is and now I can destroy your monster without wasting an attack." he said as the wrapping shot out and went for the face down monster. "Guess again! I play the Living Arrow magic card!" Yugi said and Keith gasped. "It can't be!" he hissed. "Oh yes, now I can redirect your magic card and have it target your monster instead. Now say goodnight Zera!" he said as the arrow shot out, redirecting the wraps at Zera and soon, the monster was wrapped up and dragged down to the graveyard. "You feel that, Bakura? Feels like the source is coming from Yugi's opponent." Crimson whispered. "Yes it does, Crimson. And this puppeteer will not take what is rightfully ours." he said, demonic power rising.

"Sennen Ring, sever the string that controls this mortal fool."

The eye on the ring glowed bright with power and soon, the control snapped and the man that held control over Keith gasped as his control was lifted. "What happened?" the other beside him asked. "My control! I lost it!" he growled in response, gripping tightly onto his own item. "But how?" the second whispered. "Another Sennen item must be present."

Back in the warehouse, Keith groaned as he placed a hand over his head. "What happened? Where am I?" he questioned softly as he looked up. "Looks like Zera isn't all powerful as you thought! Now time to end this duel and reclaim my puzzle!" Yugi said with determination. "Yugi Motou! What the hell are you doing here?" Keith questioned, still confused about why he was wearing the ridiculous robe, how he got himself into a duel with Yugi and where he was. But before he could ask another word, he cried out as the puppeteer tried to take control of him once more. /Your resistance is entertaining, Bandit Keith. But no longer. You will be under my control once more so pick up those cards and win me my puzzle!/ the voice spoke and he cried out in agony.

"Someone's inside my head!" he yelled and Yugi blinked when he realized it was the real Bandit Keith once more. "Keith! Tell me who is it that's controlling you!" Yugi called as the other tried to fight once more to reclaim his mind back. _'I must reclaim control but whoever is interfering must also want the puzzle. I can't allow that to happen! I will claim what is rightfully mine and no one shall stand in my way!'_ the puppeteer thought. "No! Leave me alone!" Keith cried as he tried to block the presence. But soon, the battle was lost as control was regained but the master knew that he can't hold it for long.

"I'm back and with the last remaining control I have over this fool..." Keith spoke, jumping down from the platform and ran across the field. "If I can't have this puzzle, no one can!" he hissed, taking the puzzle in hand. "No, don't do it!" Yugi cried but it was too late as the possessed Keith smashed the puzzle against the platform. "No!" Yugi wailed and from outside, two deathly roars were heard as Yami and Aqua were drawn back into the puzzle. _'Yami! Aqua! Oh god, I have to do something!'_ Yugi thought.

"If I can't have it, then no one will." the man whispered as the item in his hands glowed once more as Keith once again tried to fight for control. "Ah, I'm back again and now its time to take care of things once and for all." he whispered, looking to Yugi. "You bastard, that's enough out of you!" Diamond cried as she flew down, Ryou holding onto her hand and tackling the other from the platform. "Ryou! Diamond! When did you get here?" Yugi asked. "Myrrh told us about what happened and she went to get the others while we came here to look for you!" she explained. Ryou knelt down and worked to collect the piece and Yugi soon joined in. "My, my, my. Looks like Bandit Keith did a number on your puzzle. Do you think Yami and Aqua are alright?"

"That's what I'm worried about. They may have physical forms but they are still bound to the puzzle. Having it shatter forcibly like this must've hurt them bad." Yugi murmured as he held the pieces in hand. "Well better shattered then stolen. Who knows what could've happened." Ryou said as he handed the rest of the pieces over to Yugi, neither unaware of a serpent's tail discreetly taking one of the pieces. "Yeah, I agree. It took me forever to fix it the first time. Maybe this time, it won't be so bad now that I know what I'm working with." he said and Ryou nodded. But unaware to yugi, he didn't know that Bakura and Crimson were actually the ones there. Bakura smirked as Yugi fretted over the puzzle as he held one piece in his hand._ 'Such a naive little boy, to worry so much about the present matter that he doesn't know about future matters to come.'_ he thought, holding out the piece to Crimson and he placed a hand over it as well, both exerting a part of their soul into that very piece.

_'Soon enough, we will gathered all the Sennen Items and unlock their dark secrets. But the worse of the worse lies within the puzzle. With a portion of our souls sealed within it, we can explore under Yami and Aqua's radar and find the secrets of the Sennen Puzzle. And the moment we find it, we'll strike.'_ Bakura thought as his demonic features slipped away and Ryou walked over to Yugi. "Yugi, you almost forgot about this piece." he said, handing it to the smaller. "Oh thanks. The last thing I need is to lose a single piece of the puzzle. I can't leave Yami and Aqua trapped in there for long." Yugi said as he walked over to where the remains of the puzzle hung. Ryou nodded with a soft smile before moving to climb down from the platform. "Don't take too long, Yugi." he said before letting go. Of course, he misjudged the distance and hit the ground instead. "Ryou, you ok? You could've at least waited for me." Diamond said as she looked down to him. Ryou waved her off and she shook her head with a soft laugh before fluttering down to him and they both walked off.

Once they were gone, Yugi tried to think of a way to unhook the chain. "Maybe I should've asked for Diamond's help to get this off." he murmured, seeing the clasp that kept the chain on it was too high for him to reach. Keith, who was still on the floor from hsi fall, was awoken to the presence in his mind again. /Rise, mind slave, and finish this duel. It is not yet finished so I can still claim my prize./ the voice spoke and Keith growled as he stood. "Get out of my head!" he roared as he picked up a lead pipe and started swinging around wildly. Yugi turned to the commontion and gasped. "Keith, no!" he called but it was useless for he was completely out of it up until he hit the power box, causing it to sputter with electricity. A wire snapped, hitting the gas cans below and caused a fire to erupt. Yugi gasped as the fire started to spread.

* * *

With the others, Myrrh, Jou, Kaiser and Honda were still running through alleyways. "Kaiser! Are you following the arrows or the scent?" Jou asked. "I was up until I lost it so I was making a guess of where to go next!" Kaiser said. "So we could've been running around in circles! Kaiser, you should've said something!" Honda said and he pouted. "Hey, at least I tried. If flying was a better option, I would use that but who knows if I'll even spot anything from the air!" Kaiser grumbled. Soon, they saw the smoke rising not far from their location and Myrrh gasped. "A fire?"

"We better head there. Who knows who might need our help there." Jou said before they ran off.

* * *

The fire was spreading fast and Yugi knew it wouldn't be long before the entire building was up in flames. "I have to do something. I won't last and neither will the puzzle." he whispered before yanking on the chain but to no avail. The only thing he could think to do was solve the puzzle and get Yami and Aqua free. So with no other choice, he started working. The rest of his friends reached the burning warehouse, hearing someone yelling from inside. "Alright, we'll get the people out. Myrrh, you go call 911 so this fire doesn't spread to any other place." Jou said and she nodded before running off to find the nearest payphone. Jou, Kaiser and Honda headed in and Honda reached for the door handle only to reel back as he was burnt by the hot metal. "Dammit. We gotta bust this door down." he said and they nodded.

"Ok, on three. Three!" Jou called and they rammed the door but it didn't budge. "Three!" They tried again and still nothing. They kept going until eventually, Jou looked to Kaiser. "Come on, Kaiser! You're ramming that door like a girl scout!"

"Oh yeah! Then why don't the two of you take care of it!" Kaiser said, crossing his arms and turned from them. "Fine then! We will! Come on Honda! Three!" Jou called as they both rammed the door and eventually knocked it down. They went inside and were surprised when Keith came bolting out of there like a bat out of hell, rambling on that the place was haunted. "Dude, did we just rescue Bandit Keith?" Honda questioned in surprise. Inside, Yugi was only a few pieces away from completing the puzzle but the heat and smoke was getting to him. A tower fell over and he jumped but wasn't detered in trying to complete the puzzle. Jou and Honda walked in and called to see if anyone else was in there. Soon, Jou spotted Yugi and gasped. "Yugi! What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" he called but Yugi shook his head.

"I can't...must finish the puzzle..." he whispered as he continued putting in the last few pieces. "The heat must've gotten to his head." Honda murmured as the two hopped up onto the platform. Yugi slid in the last piece and smiled. "There...Yami...Aqua...please come help...me..." he whispered before falling unconscious. "Alright, Yugi, we're gonna get you out of here." Jou said as he tried to pull him from the puzzle but he just wouldn't let go. "No...I can't leave them..." Yugi whispered and he sighed. "I don't know what went on but if Yami and Aqua were tossed back into the puzzle, I hope they get out of here soon to help." Jou murmured. "But for now, that's not the problem. We need to get Yugi out of here but he won't let go of the puzzle." Honda said.

But before they could figure out a plan, they could feel a pulse from the puzze and looked to it. A dark aura emanated from it before dual roars were heard as Yami and Aqua emerged from the puzzle in a bright stream of light. They landed before they saw what was going on and growled. "What happened here?" Yami hissed. "We don't know. Yugi got the puzzle taken and some duel happened here. We don't know much else cause we didn't make it here on time to figure out what happened." Jou explained and he nodded. He reached up, easily jerking out the pin that held the puzze up before lifting Yugi into his arms. Aqua went up to the platform and grabbed Yugi's deck before picking up Jou and Honda. "Let's get out of here." he murmured and they nodded before the two flew up towards the window. They burst through the window and landed on the ground just as Myrrh came back and sighed with relief before running over. "Is he ok?"

"He's fine. Just a little dizzy from the heat I'm sure." Jou said as he was placed down before looking to them. "What happened with you two? I thought you would've been here before any of us."

"I don't know what happened. We were on our way because we heard Yugi's faint plea. But once the puzzle was shattered, we were sucked back into the darkness. That wasn't pleasant at all. As for getting here, we didn't even notice the link was deteriorating until Yugi tried calling for us." Yami said as he frowned, looking down to him. Soon, they heard the sirens of the firetrucks coming and Yami hid his demonic features as the firemen rushed to put out the fire and asked about what happened. After giving as much of an explanation they could give, they were able to leave. Kaiser suggested they get Yugi to a hospital to make sure he was alright and Yami nodded in agreement before they left.

* * *

After an hour in the hospital, Yugi was awake and feeling much better, especailly after seeing that Yami, Aqua and the puzzle were alright. He explained to them about what happened and Yami growled. "Sounds like something's about to happen and this time, we got someone not only after the puzzle but us as well." he murmured. "But Yami, is it really true that your loyalties will change if someone wins against me for the puzzle?" Yugi asked as he looked to him.

"I honestly don't know, Yugi. There are many secrets to the puzzle we don't know of yet. This person that spoke to you through Keith must know more than we do. Especially if he knows of us as demons. So as of now, we need to be careful of what we do." he said and they nodded. Yugi looked down to the puzzle in hand and held it close._ 'Hopefully some of the mysteries of the Sennen Puzzle will be solved by us soon. I can't afford to lose Yami and Aqua to an evil heart or the entire world may be in danger if their demonic power was unleashed.'_ he thought. Aqua came to sit on the bed and brought Yugi close in a short embrace. "Don't worry, love. We won't let anyone take us. You'll see." he said and Yugi smiled softly as he nodded.

"Good."

* * *

Zypher: There. This chapter is done in retrospect of a needed plot element that I almost skipped over should I have put up chapter 30 [which was the original chapter 29 written beforehand before I decided to do this one]. -shakes fist- Darn you Malik and your monologuing. You and Bakura both are gonna kill me one of these days. So yeah, hope I didn't kill you with so much underlined text to split between possessed Keith and regular Keith. Well, hope you enjoy this rare double update and I'll see you later with another update. Maybe after AMA depending if I don't have free wifi while I'm there. -waves- See you later.


	30. Start of a New Tournament

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 30

* * *

After the issue with Otogi was dealt with and they came to a understanding along with finding out that a new evil was upon them, things were starting to get back to the way they were. Yugi was enjoying himself in the park with Yami and Aqua, Aqua quite a children magnet and was soon up and playing their little games. Yugi chuckled as he watched them play before looking up as Yami came back over, holding two popsicles and held one out to Yugi. "Here you are." he said and Yugi thanked him as he took the frozen treat and took a bite. "So Yami...did you ever wondered about your past?" he asked as he looked up to him. Yami hummed softly as he thought it over. "I have but I never pondered over it much nowadays since I'm making new memories and those are perfectly fine." he said, smiling to him. Yugi smiled as well before looking up to see Aqua running over, a newspaper in hand.

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all but I got a glimpse of this." he said, showing Yugi the article and he looked to it before his eyes widened when he saw the familiar Sennen Eye upon the neck of the woman in the photo. "Another Sennen item?" Yami looked at the page as well before nodding. "Looks that way. And it looks like we're getting an Ancient Egyptian museum here." he murmured, pointing out the bold font mentioning such. _'Something's about to happen...I can just feel it...'_ Yugi thought.

* * *

Later that night, a limo was making its way to the museum and stopped once it got there. "We're here, sir." the chauffeur murmured and the figure in the back nodded before stepping out, revealing Seto. "So late, and at a museum of all places? what does this man want?" One of his bodyguards asked and he shook his head.

"It's not a man, its a woman and she's part of the Egyptian Government, quite an important person." he answered before making his way inside. The two guards followed and soon met up with the woman in question. She smiled just a bit as she greeted Seto. "Welcome, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Kaiba. I'm aware of Kaiba corps. remarkable strides in high-tech gaming. I'm Ishizu Ishtar. I came from Egypt to oversee the exhibit that will be held here." she spoke before leading him inside. "Please come in." Seto shrugged before following. "The supreme council of antiques is a government agency formed in 1859 to protect artifacts from grave robbers. We have been observing excavation in Egypt and around the world." she spoke and Seto huffed.

"If you're trying to find someone to look for mummies for you, you're looking at the wrong person." he said as he looked over to Ishizu. "My focus is technology, high perfomance silicon chips for electronic games. I don't have the least bit of interest of old statues and stones from thousands of years ago." he continued. She chuckled softly and shook her head. "No, not at all. I wasn't planning to keep you here all night to lecture you on ancient culture. I understand that you play Duel Monsters. Would you be interested if I told you that it originated in Ancient Egypt?" she spoke and he looked to her, a curious gleam in his eyes. "What?"

"Yes. I'm sure you remember Maximillion Pegasus, correct? The designer that created the Duel Monster franchise. But a little known fact about him is that he came up with the card game after a little trip to Egypt." she spoke with an all knowing air as she walked past him. "What I'm about to show you is a tablet from the mortuary temple of a pharaoh and sovereign from the 18th dynasty. Perhaps once you see this, it will clear your thoughts of such confusion of what I speak of." she spoke as she walked off and Seto had no other choice but to follow. "Here in this room...after you..." she whispered and Seto walked inside, the room dark until a light came on. "Behold the origin of Duel Monsters." His eyes widened as his gaze landed on the tablet before him. _'The rectangular shapes etched in this tablet...they're like Duel Monster cards!'_

"The ancient Egyptians, like most cultures, thought misfortunes was caused by evil spirits. These spirits of evil, fear and suffering were believed to be in people's hearts. To bring peace to the people, the pharaoh and sovereign of that time requested of their magicians to tame the spirits. They gave them names and physical forms, trapping them in stone slabs on the walls. But as they rested in these stone, they grew in power. In time, a group of priests acted against the pharaoh and sovereign, unleashing the evil power of the stone slabs, starting a conflict that shattered the kingdom and changed the most powerful leaders into creature of immense power." Ishizu explained as she walked past him to another mounted tablet. "This is what I want you to see." she whispered and Seto looked to her before walking over and looked through the glass, seeing a very familiar image.

_'That...looks like Yami!'_

"The young king wields the Black Magician...while the white beast handler confronts him." she murmured and Seto looked to her in shock. _'The white beast...does she mean the Blue Eyes White Dragon?'_

"This tablet depict diaha-the duelist battle-as it was known in ancient times. But as you know for yourself, these battles go on today." Ishizu spoke as she looked to Seto. "But why is Yami on this stone tablet! I know what he is so was he really some pharaoh from decades ago!" he questioned. "I don't know of this Yami you speak of. I only know of the pharaoh and the priest-magician but...I know for sure that battles like the one in this 3000 year old carving lives on today in some form." she spoke. "The age of the pharaoh ended after the pharaoh and sovereign were sealed away and with the Greek and Roman conquests. But before all of this, my country, Egypt, was ruled by a line of dynasties for more than 3000 years. The figure here is of the pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, the only dynasty known to be ruled under two rulers instead of one." she explained, touching the glass tenderly.

"The cartouche...this nameplate...indicate that he is a pharaoh. But the name was defaced. Of all pharaohs that ruled, he and his companion that ruled alongside him were never found by their true name nor were they on the king-list in the temples. As if the priests of the past tried to erase their mistake." Ishizu murmured before Seto finally let out the outburst that fester within him. "How can you not know of the man named Yami? He's a demon and clearly this tablet proves that he must be your precious nameless pharaoh! Chances are his little pet Aqua was the long lost sovereign as well! Unless you are trying to trick me with a fake tablet to make me believe more nonsense, then I shall just leave!" he growled.

"Seto, do not let your heart waver with various complications. Face this tablet and tell me that it doesn't speak to you as well." she whispered as he looked back to it before noticing the other figure more. "The young priest that fought with the pharaoh...the beast he has summoned...is it not..."

"Shut up! I had enough of this foolishness! Apparently you don't believe me and therefore, I won't waste more of my time here with ancient tablets and nonsense of the past! What matters now is the present!" he hissed.

"But apparently you believe this history that I speak of which is what I wish to succeed with. Just like the famous Western magician Aleister Crowley is said to have used icons from the Book of Thoth to create his Thoth tarots, Pegasus was led by fate to create Duel Monsters cards once more to bring back this ancient game." she spoke. "And the pharaoh and priest souls are still led by fate to continue this ancient battle even now after 3000 years..."

"Ishizu, if you are here to lecture me on things that are useless information to me, I am taking my leave, no questions asked." he spoke and started to leave. "I have the next gaming platform that needs to be completed and the time I waste here is only hindering the project." Ishizu turned to him. "I know. In that case, let me move onto my main subject. Do you know of the legendary rare cards Pegasus left behind?" she questioned and Seto stopped and turned back to her. "What are you talking about?"

She pointed to the tablet once more, aiming further up over the etching of the age old battle where three cards that surrounded the Sennen Puzzle were etched. "Do you see the three palettes carved into the tablet above the heads of the king and priest? They depict the three gods hidden within Egypt around the Sennen Puzzle." she said as she looked to him. "Pegasus created three unique cards based on these carvings. From right to left they are the god of the Obelisk, also called the Tormentor. Slifer the Sky Dragon, also know as Osiris and lastly, the sun dragon Ra. The three god beasts are believed to represent the polarities of the universe. Obelisk...light and dark. Slifer...good and evil. Ra...heaven and earth. It is said he who acquires all three of these cards...the supreme and victorious one, the duelist of duelists...will reign over the world of cards and be titled Duel King."

Seto listened in silence, taking in all the information being told to him. So much to think about as well as much planning. He didn't care about a 3000 year old battle or the history of the nameless pharaoh whom he still considered may be the demon he still harbored a grudge with since the likeness was too rare to be considered a fluke even by him but he did care about these cards that would make him the Duel King and gain him a title that he could never lose. "Where are these cards you speak of? Who has them?" he questioned. "That is why I need you...to find out." she answered. "Pegasus eventually realized his mistake of bringing such power to life in the form of cards that could be use horribly in the wrong hands. He repented for this mistake, saying that these cards were like using the very gods themselves.. For a good reason, these cards were forbidden to be used. If used by an evil heart, it could take the opponent's life. They are considered the ultimate weapon in Duel Monsters." she explained once more as she turned to Seto.

_'Ultimate weapon? Could they be used to actually deal damage directly to the player...'_ Seto wondered.

"Pegasus himself tried to eliminate these cards but in the end, he couldn't. Then he thought of placing them in a eternal sleep in the Valley of the Kings...the place they originally came from. At his request, Egypt's supreme council of antiques sealed them away in three different locations in the Valley of the Kings. But someone found them and stole them." she spoke and Seto gave a slight nod. "Who else would know about them other than Pegasus and the council? Who could have...?"

"The Ghouls." she finished before he could end the question. "You've heard of the before, I'm sure."

Seto growled. "The rare card hunters who operate behind the scenes all over the world. So it was them?" he whispered. "Stealing cards by stealth or by force only to sell them on the black market for profit. Despicable. I heard of rumors from Ruby that they are making bootleg copies to sell." he murmured. She nodded before looking to him. "We need your help, Seto. For the honor of the Egyptian government and to carry out Pegasus' wishes, we want you to get these cards back as soon as possible before a catastrophe can happen." she said and he was silent as he thought over the choices. "We brought the Egyptian exhibit here to display the origin of the cards. It seems to attract duelists to it." she spoke and he smirked.

"I see, so you want me to organize a battle royale to bring out the Ghouls from hiding, right?" he questioned and she nodded. "A large gathering will definitely bring them out for more rare cards...and my Blue Eyes will also be on that list." he murmured. _'Along with Jounouchi's Red Eyes...I can't allow him to lose that card. It may not be powerful when challenging me but to give him a fighting chance, he doesn't need to be dragged into this tournament.'_ he thought and made sure to specifically appoint him away from this royale. "One more thing..." Ishizu called before he could think of leaving as she pulled out a card from her pocket and revealed it to him.

His eyes widened as his eyes landed on the card presented to him. "The God of Obelisk!"

"Yes, that is for you. We were able to keep this card from being stolen. To retrieve the other two, I'm entrusting you with this card." she said and he smirked. "I see. This will be the bait to lure the Ghouls...and you trust me so easily, hmm? What if I retrieve all three but refuse to let them go?"

"I trust you and your judgement, Seto. You would want to keep them but know where they rightfully belong." she said. He only chuckled before leaving and once he was in the car, he gazed down at the god card he had. "The three Egyptian God cards...unlimited power beyond duelist comprehension and one was given to me without a fight. The other two will be easy pickings and then I will be the ultimate duel king." he said with a laugh as the chauffeur drove off. He picked up his cell and called Ruby.

"What is it, Seto? It's late." he murmured over the phone.

"Ruby, get up. We have a tournament to organize and I need you to do me a kind favor for my pup."

"Mmm, what is it?"

Seto told him what he needed to know and with a sleepy yes, Ruby hung up and got to work.

* * *

In his bedroom, Yugi was laying in bed, looking over to Yami who was sitting within the patch of moonlight that shone through the skylight. "Yami, something's bothering you. I can tell. What is it?" he asked. Yami turned to him and sighed. "Just being reminded of something." he murmured. Yugi got up and walked over to him, sitting beside him. "What is it?" he asked as Yami turned to him. "Somewhere in my soul room, there were hieroglyphics that me and Aqua deciphered long before you freed us. We don't know why there were there but they told us that the one who solves the Sennen Puzzle will be the one to awaken the king and sovereign memories." he spoke and Yugi nodded.

"So are you saying that you and Aqua are that king and sovereign?" he asked.

"I don't know for sure. I have a feeling we are but any memories that spoke of such are filled by the memories we made with you and your friends." he said as he looked down to him with a smile.

Yugi smiled back. "You know, they're not just my friends. They're your friends too." he said and Yami chuckled. "Yes, yes, I can't forget that since they stuck with me through so much." he said before looking up. "But there isn't much I can remember, not even my real name." he continued softly as he looked down. _'The only thing I know is that me and Aqua only existed because we were sealed in the puzzle after we became what we are. In the Valley of the Kings, there's a stone tablet that can be fitted with the Sennen Items...maybe if we go there...'_ Yugi nudged him, jerking him from his thoughts. "Enough of that, Yami. I want to help you and Aqua find your true memories cause I'm sure there are many things you two wish to remember...but I also want you to stay with me. Forever if possible." Yugi whispered as tears started to brim.

"If you want, please, take my memories if it will make you happy. Now that you both are free from the chains of the puzzle, you can live."

Yami smiled as he wrapped a wing around him, bring him into his lap. "I wouldn't ask for that but I do want to make new memories with you, love. I don't care if we never find my true memories. Living in this life with you is much better." he whispered as he leaned down to kiss him softly and Yugi returned the kiss, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Never leave me, Yami. Please don't leave me." Yugi whispered.

"I won't, Yugi. I never want to leave your embrace." Yami murmured, wiping the tears away with his thumb before standing with his little one in his arms and moved over to the bed, laying down with Yugi in his arms and fell asleep. Aqua came in later that night after getting a quick meal and took a spot on the bed to rest as well. All were unaware of what was to come soon enough.

* * *

Zypher: And another chapter done and probably many questions about what the heck went on to answer so let have Q&A fun. One, yes Seto was in denial about the history of Egypt, the duel monster cards and all that good stuff in both the manga and anime but seeing as this is completely AU and the fact that he already knows that Yami and Aqua are demons as well a separate entities, he made to take a wild guess that Yami and Aqua are indeed the twin rulers based off the tablet on the concept that demons can live forever. And mind you, with that thought in my mind actually made that part so much harder to write.

Two...transitions killed me. Originally, since I was doing transition from anime version of DDM to manga version of Battle City, that nearly killed me that I was going to kick out the whole Bandit Keith nonsense since a totally different DDM match went on in the manga with the same 'shatter the puzzle, light room on fire' action but then I realized 'hey, what about Bakura [and Crimson in my case] sealing their soul into the puzzle?' So yeah, this chapter, which was originally going to be next, was bumped back cause we need that part, since its very vital towards the end, and the fact I was going to go insane with that thought in mind. But anywho, enough of my problems. Hope you enjoyed [and devout fans don't come at me about butchering the plot cause its AU therefore what I says goes] and I'll see you soon with another chapter.


	31. The Decision

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 31

* * *

It was a good few weeks with intensive work and research and Seto smiled at his new achievement. It was a new and improved version of the duel disk that utilized the holographic technology in a new way compared to the older model. He now stood in the testing room of the research and development center in front of a dueling drone, Ruby, Mokuba and a couple of the developers sitting in a control panel to watch.

"Main computer system activated!" The robotic voice of the dueling system before Seto spoke. "Alright, Seto. We're ready here." Ruby murmured as he looked out the window. He nodded as he lifted the new and improved duel disk. _'Time to test the next generation of duel disk technology.'_ he thought as he slipped it onto his arm. _'This new disk doesn't have to be thrown like the old one. Once the card is placed in the arm plate, it scans the data and becomes a solid vision hologram of the monster. Yami, you're the only duelist I recognize as a rival. Only you and I have true pride in the dueling world.'_ he thought as he slid his deck into the deck holder.

_'Once this duel disk is perfected, a new battle will begin between us...so what if you were carved on that slab. It means nothing to me. This is my era, I'm only interested in the enemy in front of me. But is that what you are? An demon of an ancient grudge? You still seek the lost honor of your past? But it won't matter...for I will take the glory of the future!'_

"Alright! The deck is set in the duel machine! Raise the tactic levels to max!" Ruby commanded and the scientists did as told. "Ok, the battle is ready to go."

"But I'm not confident that he can beat the machine." The lead scientist spoke.

"Shut up! There's no way nii-sama will lose against a computer!" Mokuba sneered as he looked to the older man that spoke. "But young master...the duel machine is using Seto's own deck against him from when he was in duelist kingdom!"

"Wait! Then that deck has all three of his Blue Eyes?" Mokuba said in surprise before looking back to where his brother was. _'He's dueling his own ultimate deck...but why?'_ he thought as he settled down to watch. Seto smirked as his LP count went to 4000. _'This deck contains the legendary card given to me by Ishizu as well...this won't just be a test of the new duel disk system but also a test of the god of the Obelisk! How will it fare against my deck I spent so many years building...my deck that wields the three Blue Eyes White Dragons?'_ he thought before looking to the command box. "Let's go!" he called and Ruby nodded.

"Start the duel."

"Got it. Main computer and duel system on! The duel machine is on and operational!"

"Duel!"

Seto drew his five cards and looked to them before nodding. The solid vision cards appeared before him and he nodded as the test went smoothly so far. "Ok, I'm done." he spoke and now, it was the duel machine's turn. "Duel machine turn! Draw phase complete! Initiating main phase!" it said as it drew a card. "Set card in attack mode..."

"Bring it..." Seto whispered.

A roar was heard as the Blue Eyes appeared onto the field. "The computer drew a Blue Eyes already!" Mokuba said in surprise.

"I'm fine." Seto murmured as he drew his next card. "I play this card face down. Invitation to a Dark Sleep!" he said before ending his turn. "Threat assessed. Duel machine's turn..." The computer spoke as it took its next card. _'It's wary of my face down cards...that's why it isn't sending out the Blue Eyes. Even for artificial intelligence, its tactics are as good as anyone I've ever played.'_ Seto thought as the duel computer placed its next card on the field. "Look! The computer sent out Lord of Dragons!" Mokuba said. "With that on the field, dragons are immune to magic!"

_'Damn...it knew if it attacked, the dragon would've been put to sleep...it saw through my tactic!'_

"My turn! I set Steel Ogre Grotto #2 in defense!" Seto called as he drew his card and set the monster onto the field. "Man, the computer actually has nii-sama going on the defense!" Mokuba said as he continued watching the duel. "Is his new deck really not that strong to compete against his own?"

"Duel machine's turn. Draw phase complete." The machine spoke as it drew its next card. "Main phase, activate spell card. Flute of Summoning Dragons." The computer spoke and Seto cursed. _'This combo...! Is the compute about to bring out all three Blue Eyes at once onto the field?'_ he wondered, almost doubting his skills against the computer at max efficiency. The Lord of D took the flute as it materialized on the field, blowing the flute and soon called the other two Blue Eyes from the computer's hand. "Nii-sama!" Mokuba called, hoping that his brother wouldn't lose so soon. _'Three of them at once...the deadliest combo...'_

"He had his own combo turned against him! Can he even defeat his own three dragons?" One of the scientists spoke as they watched for the outcome of what looked like an impossible duel. Seto growled again, knowing for a fact that he couldn't let his own measly computer keep him from his ultimate goal that awaited for him at the end of the road. _'Yami...when you faced my three Blue Eyes, you faced them without fear...you believed in your cards...you took that very challenge with courage and won in a blaze of glory...a duelist's greatest enemy is nothing less than the monster called fear that rests within all of our hearts.'_ Seto thought.

"Initiating attack phase! Blue Eyes, multiple attack!" The computer spoke once more as the three monsters prepared to attack. "Burst Stream of Destruction!" The three dragons shot out their attack, all aiming for Seto's two monsters as well as his life points. "Activating face down! Negate Attack!" he called, the trap card revealing and took in all three of the attack, protecting his monsters and himself.

"Yes! He was able to defend himself!" Mokuba cheered and Ruby chuckled. "Did you really think he would let his duelist skill slip so easily, Mokuba?" Ruby murmured as they continued to watch. _'But what are you going to do now, brother?'_ he thought as the duel continued on with Seto now on the offensive. "Now it's my turn." he whispered as he drew his next card. _'I'll bet everything on this card.' _he thought as he drew the next card and seeing what it was, he smirked deviously. He set the card on the field, soon revealing the gigantic monster that was the God of the Obelisk. "T-that monster! Is that the legendary monster nii-sama was talking about!"

_'The Egyptian deity of the obelisk...the ultimate power will finally be tested...'_

"During my battle phase, I can sacrifice two of my monsters and Obelisk absorbs the power of their souls!" Seto spoke as the deity reached down, grabbing the two monsters in its grip and took in their power. Inside the control module, the scientists watched as the monster's power increase to drastic heights. "That monsters killed its own allies! Is that really the cost for such immense power?" One spoke in horror while another announced about its rapidly increasing attack power.

"Now, Obelisk the Tormentor, attack all three of the Blue Eyes!" Seto called. "Fist of the Obelisk!"

The monster roared as it readied its attack, sending a massive punch down at the three Blue Eyes, while the three being the strongest monsters couldn't even hold a candle to the immense power of the deity. Because of the deity's immense power, it made the systems go haywire, unable to calculate the deity's attack power. Machines fried and sizzled as the scientists tried to get things back under control. "The main computer's gone haywire! The duel machine can't take it!"

"Whoa! Not only does it wipe out the field, it wipes out the opponent's life points! What a great card and only nii-sama can wield it!" Mokuba said happily. Seto smirked as he watched the destruction left behind from the deity.

_'Only two of these beasts remain...no matter who stands in my way, I will make them all mine and be the strongest duelist out there and reclaim my title from Yami...I will be the King of the Duelists!'_

* * *

Later that night, as Yami, Yugi and Aqua slept, the two demons were lost to the darkness. _'Who are we really? Where do we come from...where should we go from here...'_

_'Something awaits us at the museum...something that knows the truth about our past and how we became what we are...the Sennen Puzzle knows that most of all...'_

_"But...do we want to know the truth...things are fine how they are now...we found our soulmate and we couldn't wish for anything better...'_

The next day, Yugi was up to answer the door and saw Keara standing there. "Oh. Hey there, Keara. What brings you out so early?" he asked. "I wanted to take Yami and Aqua out for a day on the town if you don't mind me snagging them for today." she said. "Of course not. Let me get them up and ready. Want me to tell them to meet up with you somewhere?"

"Yeah. Tell them to come into town. I'll be by the station." she said before walking off. He nodded before closing the door and headed back upstairs, waking up Yami and Aqua. "Mmm, what is it, love?" Aqua asked as sat up and stretched. "Keara said she wants to take you two out on the town for a little while so I agreed. Besides, you two been looking a little out of it so some time out might do you some good an it'll give me time to help my grandfather with arranging the shop and doing inventory." Yugi said as he headed over to the closet to find something for them to wear. Yami watched him with a soft chuckled before nudging Aqua and they both stood, using some shadow magic to formulate outfits for the outing.

"How are these, Yugi?"

Yugi turned to look at them and seeing them decked out in form fitting jeans and tank top, each with a unique design on the back made him blush heavily. "Those will work." he whispered and Yami chuckled softly. "So, where is Keara meeting us?" he asked. "At the station. She should be there right now so go ahead and I'll see you two later on." The two demons nodded before heading out, Aqua placing a soft kiss on Yugi's head. "We'll bring you something nice back." he said before leaving the room to follow his sibling out the door.

* * *

hen they arrived, Keara was leaning against a pillar and looked over to them with a smile. "Ah, glad you made it. Come on, we have a lot of sightseeing to do. But first, let's stop at a cafe for something to drink." she said before walking off. "Well, looks like you have this all planne out from the beginning." Yami murmured as they followed. "I kinda did. Besides..." she started as she looked back to them. "I can tell something's up with you two. Something about your past, perhaps?"

Yami's eyes widened. "How'd you..."

"Woman's intuition. But enough about me, let's keep going." she said as she looked back to them briefly before walking on. "Do you think..." Aqua asked as he moved up to walk beside Yami. "I don't know but she might know a lot more than she let's on. She is a guardian of Egypt after all." Yami whispered as they continued on their way, soon arriving at the cafe and took a seat inside. "So, what made you come up with this little outing?" Yami asked as they placed orders for drinks. "Well, after all the nonsense you two been through with Pegasus and Duelist Kingdom, I thought this would be the perfect time to unwind a little. And I'm sure Yugi worries about you two."

"If he did, he's surely hiding it. You don't think it might be about learning about that exhibit that came here, do you?" Aqua questioned. Keara contemplated the idea. "Possibly. And frankly, I can't blame him, you know." she murmured as she crossed her arms, looking to them. "You have to think about his feelings...I'm sure he has come to the same conclusion as you two. That the exhibit being held right now might just explain some key information that will help regulate jumbled memories of your past. But where to go from there is your decision, the both of you." she explained and Yami frowned, knowing she was right. The thoughts that came to mind replayed once more and sighed. "I don't know where we should go...we are fine with the way things are...but we also want to learn about our past and the reason we became this way."

Keara nodded as their drinks were set and she took a sip of hers. "We all have a dream. And mine is to help you both towards yours. I've made it my duty to do what I can and no matter what, I will not stop at all until your dream is fulfilled." she said, smiling softly. Yami returned the smile and nodded. "Good to know." he whispered before taking a sip of his drink. "Once we're done here, I'm gonna show you the day of a lifetime. Yugi surely wants me to bring you two back home with a new outlook on things and I'm gonna adhere to that." she said and Aqua chuckled before nodding as the three finished up their drinks before heading out. Keara pointed out various shops as they walked through the city, neither demon never getting the chance to get a good look around there themselves. Soon, they arrived to a quaint card shop and Yami smiled.

"Well, I never heard about this place before." he spoke.

"Wanna go inside and look around?" Keara asked and he nodded as they went in. Keara gave him a little pocket money to spend on what he wanted and after looking around, he picked up a couple of card packs and opened them, looking through the cards. He eventually came across Lightforce Sword and nodded in appreciation. "Got something good, Yami?" Aqua asked as he walked over and the other nodded as he showed him the card. "Oh yeah, that's definitely a good one." he said. Keara came over and was happy to see the two in higher spirits before taking them out the shop and led them around some more. Eventually, their travels ended at a local arcade and Yami smiled a bit.

"I haven't been to an arcade before. Yugi has mention them to me before." Yami said and Keara smiled. "Then you're in for a treat." she said as they headed inside. They looked around at the various games before Aqua looked over to where a huge crowd was gathered. "Huh, I wonder what's going on over there?" he murmured and Keara followed his gaze. "Let's go see."

They walked over to where a pair of dance machines sat, one man doing amazing footwork on one of the machines and getting a high amount of combos for the difficult steps. "Come on now, people! Who wants to challenge Step Johnny?" The male questioned eagerly as he continued with his moves.

"A dance battle game. Looks interesting but not my thing." Aqua said, chuckling softly. After finishing, the guy look to them and smirked as his eyes landed on Keara. "Hey there, babe! Wanna fight?" he questioned and Yami huffed. "He's a bore already. Come on, let's fine something else to do." he murmured as he was ready to turn away when Keara chuckled. "We should but this guy is challenging me in my element. I could never back down from a dance challenge." she said as she stepped up onto the second dance platform. The crowd was amazed to see her taking the challenge and Yami smirked. _'They just don't know, do they? I have a feeling that this guy's about to get whipped in his own game.'_ he thought.

"I'll go easy on ya since you're a mighty hot thing!" Johnny said and Keara snuffed. "Don't try to flatter me. You're way out of your league." she murmured and he laughed. "Come on now, don't play hard to get. How about this, if you lose, you hang out with me tonight? That has to be the reason you agreed, right?" Keara growled as she sent him a side glare. "Keep dreaming." she hissed before he game got ready and started, both players' feet flying across the marked panels fluently, the crowd cheering them on as they matched move for move. They passed each level, the steps getting quicker and harder to follow. People cheered on Keara, glad to have a fresh new face taking over the platform. Soon enough, Johnny was starting to fall behind, amazed at Keara's movements.

_'How is she keeping up!'_ he thought in horror, having a feeling he did bite off more than he could chew. It wasn't long before panic set in and with an ungraceful fall, Johnny landed off to the side of the dance platform in defeat. "I give! No more!" he said and the crowd cheered at the new champion.

"Holy...she won!"

"I can't believe Step Johnny was defeated!"

"She's awesome!"

She stepped off the platform and looked over to Yami and Aqua who gave a nod and soon the three left the arcade, making their way over to the harbor. "Well, that was fun. I haven't danced like that in a long time." she murmured, leaning against the railing and looked out to the horizon before her gaze looked over to Yami and Aqua. "So, what's on your minds now?"

"I'm thinking now about what my next step should be. Our souls are bound to the puzzle, where our souls once resided. And somewhere across the sea lies the tomb where the Sennen Items should be...including the puzzle. And ourselves included."

"And if you both go there, you'll find out the secret that you've long awaited for?" she questioned and he nodded. "Yeah..." She nodded and smiled. "Well, that decision is yours to make, Yami. I will help you along the way but every decision you take is your own and not one influenced by my words. You know you two will always have people backing you up and ready to accept whatever decision you two go with. Especially Yugi since I know he agreed to help you find your way."

Yami nodded before glancing over to Aqua. He looked to him and gave a nod to the clear question in his eyes. He returned the gesture before looking to Keara. "Alright then. Before we go home, there's one more place we want to go." he said and she nodded. They soon reached the museum and Keara could feel the ancient power of their homeland permeating the area. "A clue to our past is right in here. I don't know which side but anything will help right now." Yami murmured.

She nodded before they headed inside and walked over to the now opened Egyptian exhibit and there did Yami and Aqua find out a section of their past 3000 years ago.

* * *

Zypher: Whoo boy. This took forever for me to get out, seeing as lack of motivation kept me from getting this done like I wanted to. But here it is after a long wait which I'm sure makes you people tons happier. And before people wonder, no the manga version doesn't contain the card duel with Step Johnny which I'm actually glad for since my creative mojo is for shit right now to make decent card battles right now but hopefully it'll get back soon enough with the fact of what's coming up next. Anywho, hoped you all enjoyed either way and I'll see you soon with a new chapter for another fic.


	32. The Announcement

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 32

* * *

After a few more extensive tests of the new duel disk, Seto finally deemed it ready. He smirked as he looked to his new product. _'The next generation of duel disk is finally ready. Let the curtain rise on a new kind of duel tournament that will be the biggest ever!'_ he thought to himself before giving a nod to Ruby. Ruby yawned a little before he got to work inputting information on any and nearly every capable duelist that would get wind of this tournament. _'Now, I must start the play at the best location...the place where the ancient duelists and their cards sleep in stone...gather duelists...by the gravestone of your predecessors and show them what you've become after 3000 years!'_

* * *

At the museum, within the Egyptian exhibit, Yami and Aqua looked up to the tablet that was presented behind the glass. Keara smiled a little as she looked up to the tablet. "The 3000 year old pharaoh and the ancient battle..." she whispered and Yami nodded._ 'Yes, this is me no doubt...'_ he thought before looking to Aqua. "This proves the writings within the puzzle. I was the pharaoh from 3000 years ago who was trapped in the puzzle alongside his trusted friend and sovereign to share the same throne which was you."

Aqua nodded to this and sighed. "No wonder our memories were so scrambled when we were brought back. But there is still so many answers that are being left unanswered. Now that we know of this, what is the accident that left us to become what we are now?" he murmured and then looked down. "And what of Yugi? What if we pursue this and have to eventually return? This will leave Yugi heartbroken and I don't want that to happen." he whispered and Yami sighed. "Guess we won't know until we actually do pursue this." Yami spoke as he looked to the tablet. _'I don't want to leave him either but if its destiny, we probably won't be able to change it after getting in so deep...'_ he thought as he looked to the other duelist carved into the tablet.

_'And there's no doubt, Seto's a player into this as well.'_

They heard footsteps and turned to see Ishizu walking over to them. "Ah, so this is Yami and Aqua. I heard of your names being mentioned but nothing else." she spoke.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked.

"I am Ishizu Ishtar. For a thousand years I was in charge of protecting a piece of the pharaoh's and sovereign's memories." she spoke and when Yami looked to the item around her slender neck, he gasped. _'A Sennen item!'_

She looked down and then back up to him. "I see you recognized this item. Yes, it is as you think. This is the Sennen Tauk and it allows me to see into the near future. This is what alerted me to your visit. It also told me of a great battle that will soon be waged in this very town."

"A great battle?" Aqua questioned and she nodded. "Yes, you both came here for answers which chose the path fate wanted you two take. A fate of fighting.." she explained and Yami's eyes narrowed at her words. "Yami, to regain your and Aqua's memories, you must collect all eight of the Sennen items." she spoke before he raised a hand. "I'll listen to more but first tell me...are you an enemy?" he questioned and Keara stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm yourself. She is no enemy. I can see that much just by looking at her. I know you both been through enough with people possessing the items for evil but she is one that will not treat you that way." Keara said and Yami looked back to her. "How do you know that?"

"She is right though. My item is no enemy of yours. But the foe to appear before you both, will be the possessor of the last Sennen item." Ishizu confirmed. "And that battle will be a battle to regain your true memories but those alone won't provide all the answers. Only a portion of them."

They nodded before Keara deemed that they were done here and with another nod, they left but Keara hung behind a little. "When will you tell them, Priestess Kearitona?" Ishizu questioned. "Soon enough. After Battle City and we head back to their ancestral homeland." she spoke before she left. Ishizu nodded as she watched her go before heading back to her duties. _'Let's see what fate has in store for you two.'_ she thought to herself.

As they left, Yami was still contemplating over the thoughts of what he had just learned. "Keara, Yugi doesn't know that we came here. I hate keeping secrets from him or the others but I don't want any of them to know about Ishizu or the stone slab just yet." Yami said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"We have already thought over the consequences that may come to pass once we have our memories back. While he wants to help us find these memories, his deepest desires is that he doesn't want us to leave him to return back. Both of us still need to think of that choice ourselves but hopefully, whatever our final decision is, it will be taken with a strong heart from all three of us." he explained and she smiled before nodding. Yami pulled out the deck resting in the deck holder on his belt. _'This deck was built between the two of us. If I kept secrets from him, this deck won't work to its full potential.'_

"But the moment he understand who we were before we became demons, then it will reveal its true power." he murmured before looking up. Aqua bristled as well as he looked around. "Something's wrong with the atmosphere here." he spoke.

"Yami! Aqua!" A voice called and they turned to look, seeing a very familiar woman coming over to them. "Mai? What are you doing here?" Aqua questioned. She looked to him quizzically. _'They don't know...'_ she thought as she blinked. "You don't know? Didn't one of you get the info about what happening today? You surely couldn't be here by accident." she spoke and Yami shrugged. "What info?"

"Holy-! I'm surprised! But I'm sure with senses like you two have, you felt the aura in the air." Mai spoke and Yami nodded. "Yeah, the strong presence of duelists."

"There are duelists from all over the country here. Even some familiar faces trying to get themselves back into the circuit." she said before looking over to Yami. "A few days ago, a weird invitation which was more like a clue was published into card magazines and posted online. "Come to the place where the ancient cards slumber in the stones". Along with it was a date a time. Today and right now. They're supposed to be announcing a huge duel monsters tournament! It going to be the biggest Japan has seen to date!" Mai explained and Yami nodded. _'Must be Seto's doing.'_ he thought.

Mai was glancing down to him as he looked about to the amount of duelists that were waiting in the square. _'It couldn't be a mere coincidence that he found his way here. His duelist instinct borders on psychic after all that I've witnessed throughout Duelist Kingdom.'_ she thought before looking up, feeling the crowd stirring as a new presence made its way into the square. Seto Kaiba looked at the gathering with a smirk, Mokuba and Ruby right beside him. "Rumors say he's the one that gave the information..." Mai whispered to Yami and he nodded. _'He must be hosting this tournament then.'_

Mokuba chuckled softly as he looked to everyone gathered. "You were right, nii-sama! Duelists are he from all over the country to join!" he said happily before looking up to him. Ruby nodded before stepping forward. "Listen carefully! In this town, the day after tomorrow...a duel monster tournament will begin!" he spoke and that roused the crowd's attention. "There are only two conditions to enter this tournament! Rule number one, you must have a 40 card deck at the ready with at least one rare card! And rule two is that you must get the next gen duel disk prepared by Kaiba Corp. for the tournament!" he said, taking the duel disk that Mokuba handed to him and held it up.

"All duels played in this tournament will be of a high risk. Both players when encountered must ante up. The loser will have to give up their rarest card to the winner." Seto said with a smirk upon his face and Yami huffed. _'So, the players will have to give up their rarest card. This will prove to be a challenging match then.'_ he thought. The idea of having every rare card of every player there now got the crowd in an uproar.

"Those cards will be mine!"

"Where will the tournament be held!"

Seto stepped up to speak the next line. "The stage is all of Domino City! In two days' time, this city will become Battle City!" he called and that got the crowd roaring in hype for the tournament that was to begin in two days. Where Yami stood, he held a steely gaze up to the host of the tournament.

_'Battle City, huh? Guess this is the beginning to my fate of fighting...'_

* * *

Zypher: There, after a long enough wait [and a relatively short chapter], we're onto Battle City! Be prepared for many duels, secrets and other things as we begin this arc. And for those that haven't yet, my poll for this year's Halloween story is slowly drawing to a close so if you haven't voted yet, please go to my profile and vote for which story you would like to see this year. But for now, see you later with another chapter.


	33. The Ambush

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 33

0

"Battle City, hmm?" A voice hummed in the darkness as another before the person nodded. "Yes, Lord Malik. Duelists from all over the country has gathered in Domino City for the tournament. It's being hosted by Kaiba Corp." The messenger spoke. Malik nodded, a small smirk spreading across his face. "How fun to know that all of the prey is gathering into one spot." he spoke as he looked up, calculating lavender hues gleaming with interest. "Now, my Ghouls...unleash the Rare Hunters! Our next target is Domino City and the Battle City tournament!"

0

"Battle City! You mean staring tomorrow, there's gonna be a mass amount of duelists fighting in the streets!" Jou questioned as he and the others were gathered on the roof during their lunch break, Yami there to spend the little time he had with his small lover. Jou growled, gritting his teeth. "How can Seto not tell me, Domino City's No. 2 duelist, that such a big tournament was happening and not invite me!" he grumbled.

"Jou, don't tell me you're thinking of entering?" Kaiser questioned and he nodded.

"Damn right I am! I'll talk to whoever in charge of running the tournament beside him and force them to let me in! They surely can't deny the lover of Seto Kaiba after all!" he said, determined to go through his with plan. He even looked up to Yami. "You're entering too, right!" The demon nodded and Jou smirked. "Great! Between us two, we'll rule the tournament!"

"Jou, if you are going to enter, you're gonna have to be careful. Yami told me that the tournament has an ante rule." Yugi piped.

"Ante rule?"

"Yes." Yami answered as he hopped from his perch on the gate surrounding the roof. "We have to absolutely win every duel we get into cause we're gonna have to bet our rarest card in order to begin the duel." he explained and Jou gulped at the idea of losing his precious Red-Eyes in a duel. "Are you sure you wanna risk that, Jou?" Honda asked as he looked over to him. "I mean, that's a very valued card of yours and to lose will pretty much mean you're out of the tournament." he added.

"I'll still do it! I'll just have to win a bunch of duels and get me more rare cards to stick in."

Yugi nodded, smiling at his friend's determination before remembering another thing. "Oh! There's another condition to enter the tournament, Jou-kun." he said and Jou looked over to him. "You're going to need, Seto's latest duel disk model to use." he explained. "Our store doesn't carry it but I heard its already on sale at card specialty stores in town. Yami is going to pick up his when I get out of school." he continued as Yami nodded.

"Well, if I'm gonna enter, I'll go too..."

"Do you even have the money?" Honda quipped.

"No but I'll get one through sheer willpower! You'll see!"

"Good luck!"

Jou huffed before looking back to Yami. "Hey Yami, after school can you take a look at my new deck. I made it last night but I'm not too keen on a few things."

"Sure, Jou."

0

After school was done, Yami met the gang at the gate before they all headed out to go pick up their duel disks. "Hmm, I thought the store was around here somewhere..." Yugi murmured as they looked around. "I never been to this store so I'm kinda lost on where it is exactly."

"Hmm, I think I have an idea of where it might be." Keara spoke as she walked ahead of them a bit before pointing it out. "There." she said and the others followed behind her. "How'd you know?" Yugi asked. "Yami and I were here yesterday and if its around here, then this must be it." she explained. Yugi nodded before looking over to Yami who was passive as they conversed. He knew his demon lover wasn't too keen over the whole tournament and the rules Seto placed down. Every card in his deck was precious to him and he hated the idea of risking them on a wager or taking another's valued card. But he knew that this wasn't the only reason and when Keara looked down to Yugi's inquisitive gaze as the others headed into the card shop, she knew that the smaller teen knew what Yami and Aqua are here for. _'Yami's dueling for the memories that he and Aqua lost. Yugi knew of this long before and while he hates the idea of losing his new-found mates, he's ready to accept it should the time come.'_ she thought before the two headed in as well and she followed behind them.

"Hello there, do you have the new duel disks?" Yugi asked as the reached the counter where the shopkeeper was, looking at his stock before turning at the sound of the bell over the door ringing. "Ah, you must be here for the tournament. I have a few left. Day's been busy with so many people coming in." he said. "Please, give me your names, if you will."

"Yami Motou."

"Jounouchi Katsuya."

The shopkeeper nodded as he typed in their names starting with Yami and he nodded. "Ah! Here you are. Level 8, how excellent!" he said and Yugi blinked. "Really? How so?"

"I'm looking him up through the duelist data base. Kaiba Corp collected data on duelists all over the country and put it into their systems to send it through card and hobby shops for events just like these. Yami's duelist level is eight stars, the highest level that you can get." the shopkeeper spoke. He turned to grab a box from behind him and handed it off to Yugi. "Congratulations, this is for free for such a high duelist level." he said and Yugi smiled as he took it. "Thank you! Are you sure its ok though?"

"Actually, per Kaiba Corp regulations given to us by adviser Jewelstone, only duelists level 5 or higher can obtain the duel disk for the tournament." Yugi nodded to that and Jou smirked. _'Sweet, if it's Ruby who's making up the rules for who gets in and who's a sucker, I'm a shoe-in!'_ Jou thought.

"Hey! Look me up now!" Jou exclaimed and the shopkeeper nodded. "Ah yes, Jounouchi, right?" the shopkeeper murmured as he tapped the keys, entering Jou's name and brought up his information. He tsked softly before looking to him. "I'm sorry, but you're only level 2 and therefore not qualified to enter."

"What!" he screeched before looking to Kaiser. "Kaiser! Do you know anything about this! You hang you with Ruby more than I do!"

"Hey! Don't get on me! I couldn't see him since he called and told me Seto had him busy doing this stuff for the tournament!"

"Then it was him! Damn it all! When I see that rich bastard, I'm gonna kick his ass! Even after giving him this chance, he's still treating me like I'm a lame-ass duelist!" Jou growled. While Jou raged on, the shopkeeper glanced back at the computer and his eyes widened when he saw what Jou's rare card was exactly. _'The Red-Eyes Black Dragon! How can such a low level duelist obtain such a rare card?'_ he thought, revealing himself as one of the secret rare hunters that roamed through Domino City at this time, using card and hobby shops to locate targets with the best rare cards that they would obtain throughout the tournament.

"Calm down, Jou. Maybe Seto isn't trying to go against you but looking out for your well-being. Remember that you have only one rare card and you really don't want to lose her." Kaiser tried to reassured.

"He's trying to prevent me from becoming a true duelist at this rate!" Jou grumbled. With Jou providing the proper distraction, the shopkeeper did a few quick keystrokes, changing Jou's level from 2 to 5. "Oh wait! I'm terribly sorry but there was a tiny bug in the system. Katsuya is actually level 5, just barely making it into the ranks to join the tournament." he said with a smile as fake as his disguise, taking another duel disk from the shelf and handed it over to Jou.

"Really! Sweet! I knew Ruby wouldn't let me down!" he said with a cheer and Yugi smiled. "This is great!" he said happily although both Yami and Keara were just a bit skeptical about the situation but decided to pass it off for now.

After the group left, the man dropped the facade and picked up the phone, dialing a private line and smirked. "I've found your first target."

0

After a extensive lesson and a few quick modifications to Jou's deck, he and Kaiser left the game shop, thank Yugi and Yami for their advice and help before they two started making their way home. "You know, bro, we really need to invest in a car. I know we're only walking distance from the apartment but I hate walking sometimes." Kaiser mumbled. "Well, if we had the money, we would." Jou said with a pout.

"That's where Seto and Ruby come in, I'm sure they'll buy us one to share. It will make it easier to get to them to should we need solace from that drunk bastard."

As the two walked through the alleyway, from the corner of Kaiser's eye did he see a shadowed figure and was about to tell Jou but was too slow as three eventually surrounded them. "Hey, who are you guys?" Kaiser demanded.

"We...are the rare hunters. Jounouchi, I challenge you to a duel right here." One spoke, duel disk already on his arm and deck in hand. _'Rare hunters...I heard about these guys...'_ he thought before growling as he opened the box with his new duel disk and took it out. "Wait a second, Jou! You're not really going to challenge these guys! We can get out of here no problem!" Kaiser said, rustling his wings to remind his brother.

"I can't, Kaiser. You know I can't back down from a challenge. As a duelist, it's would ruin that pride." he murmured as he pulled out his deck and placed it into the duel disk. "Alright! Let's do this!"

0

Back at Kaiba Corp, Ruby was tapping away on a computer, looking through card and hobby shops all over town to make sure that progress was going according to plan for the tournament tomorrow. When he got to the card shop that was downtown, he blinked as he looked at the recent information done that day. "Jounouchi...level 5! What the hell, I put him at a low level so he wouldn't be accepted!" he growled as he tried to figure out what happened. _'Seto's going to kill me if he finds out. Jou can't lose that Red-Eyes...it's his most treasured card...'_ he thought.

0

Back in the alleyway, the duel went on, Jou sending out Panther Warrior and the rare hunter starting off with Hannibal Necromancer in defense. "Trounce that monster, Panther Warrior!" Jou called as the feline warrior charged in and attacked. The monster was taken down easily by the 2000 atk monster and Jou grinned. "How ya like that! One swing and that thing's dead!"

The rare hunter only smirked beneath his hood as he drew his neck card. "I play Graceful Charity. I draw three and discard two." he spoke, doing said action before sending out Three Headed Geedo in defense. "Take it out, Panther Warrior!" Jou called again and with a growl, Panther Warrior went in for the attack again, taking out another weak monster. "Come on now? You guys are weak! And I hear you guys always get your rare cards!" Jou jeered.

But the hunter was still smirking and Kaiser didn't like it in the slightest. _'I think they got Jou right where he wanted him. It isn't a matter of weak defense but a even stronger monster that he isn't expecting...'_ Kaiser thought as the rare hunter took his turn. "I'll draw...and play another Graceful Charity."

_'What is with this guy? All he doing is changing the cards in his hands using that Graceful Charity card...what is he up to?'_ Jou thought but didn't let his guard down otherwise as he sent out Red Eyes next on his turn after the rare hunter ended it with another weak monster. She gave a roar before glaring down at her opponent. "Go! Black Fire Bullet!" he called and she roared once more before unleashing the attack and destroyed the monster. "Your arm must be heavy with burden but don't worry, I'll lighten it soon." The hunter whispered as he drew his next card and grinned. "I win..." he said before his hand was revealed to Jou and he gasped.

_'No way...'_ he thought as he saw all five pieces of Exodia were in his hand.

"All five pieces of Exodia are rare cards...its difficult to find even one. But in this deck, I have three!" The hunter spoke as the holograms faded and the other two went to grab Jou before he could escape. "Jounouchi!" Kaiser cried before rushing in to help but was promptly kicked away. "We Ghouls can reproduce any rare card we wish. And with these, no duelist will last." he whispered as he walked forward. "And now...your Red Eyes is ours!"

"No!" he growled as he elbowed one of the hunters to get an arm free. "Kaiser! Get up and get me out of here!" he called. Kaiser nodded as he went to stand but yelped as he was downed once again by a nasty hit from the dueling rare hunter's duel disk. Before Jou could get away to help his brother, he was knocked in the back of the head hard and he fell, his deck spilling out onto the ground. The first hunter walked over to him, picking up his Red-Eyes from the scattered cards. He smirked as he gazed at the cards before they all started walking off. "See how tonight's prey shines in the moonlight. And by sunrise tomorrow, the town will be swarming with duelists. A good hunt indeed. But our biggest catch is the one with Obelisk the Tormentor."

_'We already have Osiris and the Winged Dragon of Ra...if we Ghouls get the God of the Obelisk...the invincible god cards will be ours!'_

The trio of hunters laughed before they were gone from sight. Jou groaned as he tried to block the reeling in his head. Kaiser was already out for the count and he groaned softly._ 'Yami...they're here...the rare hunters...'_ he thought as his mind faded into the darkness.

0

They next morning, Sugoroku was out, ready to do his daily sweeping of the front porch, Inside, Yugi, Yami and Aqua were getting ready for the tournament.

"Ready, Yami?" Yugi asked.

Yami grabbed the deck belt Aqua tossed to him and snapped it on. "Ready, little one. Let's go!" he said, smiling down to him.

0

Zypher: And that's the end of that chapter. Jou lost his precious Red Eyes and no one is going to be happy. What will happen next shall be revealed soon. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon. Now, onto some long missed duel monster stories.

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's Deck-

It was a grim day as the monsters of Jou gathered with one another. Laito was sniffling softly as he stood with Meneg. /"It's not fair...why did that mean man take Akai from us..."/ he whispered. /"Well, as Yikido explained to us, there was a tournament going on where you have to ante your rarest card. Akai is a rare dragon second to the three Blue Eyes themselves. But the tournament wasn't scheduled til tomorrow so these men making a move now means that something bad is going to happen."/ Meneg explained.

/"But it's not fair!"/ Laito screeched as he leapt from the elder dragon's arms. /"She doesn't deserve to be taken away from Jounouchi! She loves it here and to be taken away just like that is horrible!"/

"Well, we can't do a thing. You saw what that man can do. He has not one set but three of the Exodia cards. No one is a match for that and as long as he has a strategy like using Graceful Charity to refresh his hands and get the pieces in there faster." Fier said. Laito tried to come up with another argument but only sighed as he sat back down. /"I want Akai back. Gula too..."/ he murmured.

"We all do, little one. We all do." Meneg said as he walked over to his younger counterpart and nuzzled him. They heard a familiar roar and gasped, knowing that Yikido wasn't aware of the unofficial duel and will be in for some depressing news about his wanted mate. /"Akai! Akai, where are you?"/ he called as he landed and looked to the group of monsters that were gathered there. /"What's going on guys?"/ he asked. Ohtar rubbed his arm as he moved forward. "Akai...isn't with us anymore..."

/"What, did Jounouchi remove her from the deck?"/ Yikido questioned, unaware that he was followed by Torone who hid behind the dragons' dorm.

/"Not exactly."/ Meneg spoke as he stepped forward. /"Your master has you getting prepared for the big tournament, correct?"/

/"Yeah, what about it?"/ Yikido asked.

/"Well, Jounouchi-sama wanted to be part of it and when we went to the hobby shop, he was listed in as a participant and got his duel disk. But before he and his brother could get home...they were ambushed..."/

/"Ambushed! By who!"/ The dragon snarled.

"By Rare Hunters." Fier said. "Jounouchi-sama had him on the run but the guy had a bigger strategy in mind...and defeated him with Exodia..." Yikido, growling with unrestrained anger, looked to Fier. /"And what happened after..."/

"If Seto-sama ever spoke about rare hunters, they are men that duel people for their rare cards. And this tournament will be a cesspool of rare cards for them to take. Jounouchi-sama was an unfortunate victim...and lost Akai to them." Ohtar explained and blue eyes widened before a cry tore from Yikido's throat.

/"No! Why her! Why Akai!"/ he roared in anguish. Torone prevented himself from making a cry of his own before leaving, a growl escaping his lips. _'Those bastards will pay for this. She was mine to have but my bastard brother Yikido is getting in too far with her quicker than I have. And now she's gone! If Seto-sama ever finds that man, I will tear his monsters a new one._' he thought with a hiss as he returned to Seto's deck, knowing that Yikido will be occupied being comforted by the monsters of Jou's deck and won't be back for a while.

0

Zypher: And there's the end of that little story. Akai is gone, lost to the rare hunters, and Yikido isn't taking it so well. Neither is they ever meet Akai again? Well that shall be seen in future chapters. Hope you enjoyed and now I need to hide before two bigshot dragons tear me limb from limb for getting rid of their mate before they even got closer to her [seeing as it has been a while since the last duel monster story dealing with two star-crossed lovers and a jealous third party]. But anywho, hoped you like and I'll see you later with another chapter.


	34. Battle City: Start!

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 34

0

As the morning sun rose on the beginning of the Battle City tournament, inside the Game Shop, Yami was getting dressed and ready. Sugoroku was up doing the usual sweeping of the front step before looking up to where Yugi's room was, the light having been on all night. "My, my, those two must've had a sleepless night preparing for the tournament." he murmured with a smile. "I'm sure they'll win and find what they're looking for."

Inside, the finish deck sat on the desk and Yugi smiled at their work. Yugi looked to the time and gasped. "Wow! We were up all night fixing the deck for Battle City!" he said and Yami nodded. "Yeah, it was such a tough decision on whether to put in that spell card." he pointed out and Yugi nodded before looking over to Aqua who fell asleep on the bed. Yugi smiled softly before walking over and gently kissed the other's snout light. "Wake up, Aqua. We're all done." he whispered and the other shifted before waking and yawned softly. Yami walked over and rested a hand on Yugi's shoulder and he looked up to the demon.

"Yugi, you remember the reason I'm joining this tournament."

"Yeah...I remember. It's to find yourself and remember your past."

Yami nodded in agreement and squeezed his shoulder a little. "But I will need your support every step of the way, little one. No matter what happens, I put my full trust and faith into the deck we created together. Always keep those words in mind." he murmured and Yugi nodded. "Of course. I know we'll find what we need to find out and no matter what happens, I'll always be there beside you." he said and Yami smiled before leaning down to kiss him softly. _'I know this isn't a duel to gain rare cards but something much more important. And no matter where you two go, I'll be behind you every step of the way.'_ Yugi thought with a nod.

"Ready to go?" Aqua asked and Yami nodded. "Let's." he said before looking to Yugi. "In the event something is ready to catch us, you'll be safer in the puzzle." he said and Yugi nodded before concentrating and the puzzle glowed before sheltering Yugi within his soul room as Yami snapped on the belt with his deck box hooked onto it and left out the game shop and made his way to the city plaza.

0

At 8:05 a.m., duelists all over were gathered there, some new and some a memory of challenges back at Duelist Kingdom. A common businessman walked by in curiosity before going up to a duelist. "What's going on today? And what with these weird things on your arms?" he questioned, adjusting his glasses. The duelist look to him with a laugh. "Norms better keep out of the way! The city is about to turn into a battlefield!" he said. When Yami and Aqua arrived, Aqua started looking around for the familiar blond head of their friend. "Jounouchi is late." he murmured which made the other demon wonder. "He shouldn't be. Even he wouldn't want to miss this." Yami murmured. Mai spotted them from afar and walked over to them with a wave.

"Hey Yami, Aqua!"

"Oh hey Mai." he greeted as he turned to face her. "So many people here already and it almost time for the tournament to start." she spoke before looking to them. "So...isn't Jounouchi supposed to be here as well?" she questioned.

"Yeah, he should be here any minute." Aqua answered.

His answer made Mai smile. "So he _is _dueling! That's wonderful news!" she said before two more unwanted guests showed up. "Yami! Mai! Long time no see!" A voice called and they turned to see Ryuzaki and Haga there. "Dinosaur Ryuzaki and Insector Haga. Should've known you would be here." Mai said with a huff, crossing her arms.

"You listen here! I'm going to make both of you pay for what you did on the island!" Ryuzaki spoke as he stepped forward.

"Yeah, if you think I'm as easy as I was at Duelist Kingdom, you will be sorely wrong. My new insect deck is ten times more powerful than before and will eat up your monsters in a heartbeat." Haga spoke with a chuckle. But another guwaff made Haga cringe as Kajiki walked up, Sapphire right beside him. "An insect deck? It's pathetic against my deck. My new Fortress Whale will gulp down those puny insects!" he spoke.

"But my dinosaurs will trump your little fishies." Ryuzaki spoke and Kajiki growled.

"We'll see about that!"

"Ugh...let's get out of here...I'm already hating these guys." Mai said with a huff as she walked off. "Kajiki isn't too bad. He's a nice guy once you get to know him. Unlike the _other _two." Aqua murmured as he and Yami followed. In the shelter of a small cafe, a shady figure sat with a cup of coffee, laptop open before him as he scanned through his targets. "Hmm, duelist no. 312...he's got a nice card too..." he murmured as he took a sip of the warm liquid. As the time arrived for the announcements to start, the big screen on one of the buildings lit up, revealing Seto's facade. "My fellow duelists! Welcome to Battle City!" he announced and the duelists cheered at the welcome, eager to start once the rules were given. "I will now explain the rules to you all. The duelists gathered here were acknowledged by Kaiba Corporation as being a level higher than 5. The duel disks on your arms are proof of that." he spoke.

"The stage will be the entire city! I have spoken with the civil authorities to allow such a big playing field for you all. Now, if two duelists meet face to face, you may fight. Each duelist will use a legitimate 40 card deck and all matches will be played by the ante rules. The loser of the match will give up a rare card of the winner's choosing. As you win, your deck will grow stronger but if you lose, then let's see how you will catch up." he spoke and Yami nodded, knowing full well the risk of the ante rules. "Now, as listed and given to me by my adviser, there are 48 participants...but only eight will make it to the finals." Seto spoke once more which made the duelists break out into quiet conversations.

"As for the location of the finals...it's a secret but they are within the city limits."

_'So the location of the finals are hidden..._' Yami thought to himself.

Seto chuckled softly. "I too will be participating in the duel under the same condition as the rest of you. Therefore in the interest of fairness, even I don't know the location of the finals." he spoke which brought out a few outraged cries from the duelists.

"What does that mean!"

"Then how are we supposed to find out where it is!"

"I'm sure you all are wondering. Look at the back of your duel disks! There you'll find a transparent plate!" he said, demonstrating on screen of the location and revealed the plate. Yami did the same and Aqua looked over his shoulder. "Small but it looks like a piece of a street map." he murmured and Yami nodded in agreement.

"This plate is a puzzle card. When all puzzle cards from the 48 participants are stacked, it makes a map of Domino City. Now, each card has a prismatic coating. If you stack any six of them, a light will shine at a certain spot on the plate. That will be the location of the finals. So I'm sure you figure it out now...not only will you gain a rare card but also the opponent's puzzle card! Only those that can collect the six puzzle cards will reach the unknown location of the finals!" he spoke which brought cheers from the large crowd gathered in the plaza.

"Now duelists! Scatter across Battle City! The tournament shall begin at nine o' clock!" he called as a KC blimp flew overhead to monitor all.

"Less than a half hour! I'm heading to the ocean!" Kajiki called as he ran off along with other duelists scouring for their locations before the tournament officially started.

"I'll beat anyone in my way and get to the finals!" Haga spoke as he walked off.

"I'm heading to the east! I'll see you suckers later!" Ryuzaki sneered.

"Well Yami, looks like this is where we split up. Next time I see you, we're dueling and this time, I'll get the upper hand over you." Mai said as she waved to the two and headed off herself. As time ticked down to the awaited time, two more entered into the plaza and spotting their target, one charged forward.

"You!" Jounouchi called with a snarl as he pointed to the robe wearing man at the cafe. Yami, hearing his voice, turned to see him there. _'Jou-kun?' _he wondered to himself. "I've been looking all over for you, you scumbag! You can disappear into the crowd but you sure as hell can't hide those conniving, snake-like eyes!" he snarled. The man only took another sip of his coffee and look to him with a calculating gaze. "You have no rare cards left...doesn't that mean you can't enter?"

"That's cause you stole my card!"

Hearing this, Yami growled and nudged Aqua before running over. "Jou-kun, what happened?" he called. Jou looked to them and then glared back at the man before him. "Yami, you need to be on your guard! There are Rare Hunters in the tournament!" he said and Yami hissed. _'Rare Hunters! I heard of them from Yugi. The number one card thieves and the crime syndicate that has dominated over the gaming world. Also known as Ghouls. And they picked a perfect time to gain a treasure trove of rarities.'_

The man, now officially known as a Ghoul, chuckled once again. Aqua put two and two together and growled before looking to Kaiser. "Kaiser...did this guy get Jou's rare card?" he asked and the other nodded. "Yeah, we got ambushed on the way home..." Kaiser said before Jou raised a hand.

"Don't fight him, Yami." Jou said. _'Cause with the cards this guy has, even Yami could have a 50 percent chance of losing before getting his big strategies out on the field to trap him.'_ he thought to himself. But what Jou didn't notice was the seething anger emanating from the demon as he stepped forward. "Anyone who steals a precious card from another...answers to me..." he hissed.

"Yami!" Jou called in warning.

"So...you want to duel me then?" The man questioned as he stood finally.

"Wait, Yami! This isn't a good idea!" Kaiser called.

"Stay back! I'm going to get your card back!" Yami spoke as he glared at the man still. "Garbage like you doesn't deserve to roam the streets in such a big tournament. And I'm going to make sure this is your final hour." he spoke.

"Challenging me to a duel? You're quite brave but also foolish." The man spoke once more as he prepared his own deck. "But I'll accept just to add your card among my growing pile." Aqua tapped Jou's shoulder and pulled him back. "Yami will handle this." he murmured and Jou could only nod even though he feared that the demon would fail due to the other's Exodia strategy that only he knew after his experience.

"So, you're a Rare Hunter. I've heard so much about you foolish humans. Counterfeiters and thieves feeding off other's hard earned rarities to make your own. And now you've chose Domino as your next target during such a big tournament. This must be like a feast for you dogs." Yami growled.

"Of course. Japan's greatest all gathered in one spot? We Rare Hunters are the combatants for the Ghouls and we're going to take this tournament and all of its rare cards." Yami growled once more, showing sharp fangs "I'll crush every one of you and devour your souls..." he hissed. The hunter only laughed however. _'Do you really imagine that you can beat my deck?'_ he thought to himself.

"Yami, I need to tell you something-!" Jou tried to call but Yami only hushed him. "I'm going to get your Red Eyes back, Jou-kun. Don't worry." he said as he looked over to him. "We're entering this tournament together and I'm not going to let you be left behind."

Jou was stunned by his words before smiling a little. _'Yami...thanks...but this guy...he isn't someone you can beat easily...the Rare Hunters have all kinds of card, real and bootleg. They got the best decks in the world that could even give Seto a run for his money..._' Jou thought before looking back to Yami. "Just lemme warn you! His deck has-"

"Hold it right there!" Yami called, stopping Jou in his tracks. "No matter what dirty secrets this guy has hidden up his sleeve, I have no right to get an unfair advantage by knowing what his deck consist of." he said. "So do you have a name...actually you know what, nevermind. No need to know the name of my prey. Just come at me with everything you got." he said as he pulled his deck out from its holder. "No matter what you try, my deck will be victorious in the end."

The hunter chuckled. "Such fighting spirit you have but I'm going to show you in takes much more than that to win a duel these days."

It was only a few minutes left before the start of Battle City and duelists that still mingled about saw the battle that was getting ready to start. "Hey guys! There's a duel about to start at the Clock tower and that guy Yami is in it!" One called and soon, a crowd circled around the two just as the clock struck nine, initiating the start of Battle City.

"Duel!"

They both drew their hands as their life count went up to 4000. "I'll go first." Yami said as they looked at their hands and the hunter smirked. _'Perfect...two Exodia pieces already in my hand. This won't take long...'_ he thought to himself. From the sidelines, Jou watched and hoped that Yami would figure out the Rare Hunter's strategy before it's too late. "I'll set this two cards down, one card out in face down position." he spoke as the card appeared onto the field. "And then I bring out Gazelle, the king of mythical beasts." he said as the monster appeared out onto the field.

"And then it's my turn." the hunter spoke as Yami ended his turn. He drew his card and gave a sinister smirk. _'Ah, Graceful Charity. Just what I needed.'_ he said as he played the card onto the field. "I'll draw three and drop two." he said as he did so and looked to his hand, finding that he now had four pieces in his hand. _'Wonderful, one more and this duel is over.' _he thought as he sent out Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense to give himself a powerful defense. Yami watched each move with a calculating gaze. _'Seems like he is a turtle player, to hurt him, I got to get through his strong defenses.'_

But it seems the hunter is to reading into Yami's moves. _'That's it...take the bait, demon. Focus on my monsters while I build up to what I need.'_

"Alright then, my turn!" Yami called as he drew a card. "I'll play Baphomet the demon then I'll use Polymerization to fuse the two into Chimera, the flyinf mythical beast." he said as the two headed monster roar. "Now per to the super expert rules, I can't attack the moment my monster is fused but on my next turn, your statue is rubble." he said as he ended his turn. The hunter drew his next card and smirked once more. "I'll play another Graceful Charity. Draw three and discard two." he said as he did so and Yami's eyes narrowed. _'He's searching for something. What it could be is the mystery...'_ he thought.

As the hunter looked to his hand, he cursed. _'Damn, another right arm...so close and yet so far...all I need is the left arm and the duel is good as done.'_ he thought before looking to Yami, seeing the determined gleam in his eyes. _'Do you really think you can beat me, demon? We Ghouls have developed many techniques and tools to win. One such as the x-ray contact lenses I'm wearing right now to see the picture on the back of my next card. Each bootleg card we own is made with special ink to allow us to see what's next easily and no one without these lenses would be none the wiser.'_ he thought as he looked to the deck and faintly, he could see the picture of the next card and would've cackled with glee if it wouldn't make the demon suspicious.

_'And lo and behold, my next card is indeed the left arm of Exodia...I win on my next turn.'_

Jou and Kaiser watched with worry on the other side which Aqua could feel. He looked down to the two and then back to the duel. _'What are you up to hunter? To make Jou and Kaiser worry so much must mean you have some conniving scheme up your sleeve...'_

"Well then, to end my turn, I shall play another monster. Prepare to face my Gear Golem, the moving fortress." he said as the monster appeared on the field. _'So another wall monster is it? At this rate, he won't scratch my life points. So how is he aiming to beat me? By shuffling his hand...' _Yami wondered before it clicked and he grinned darkly. "So, that's it, isn't it?" he questioned and the hunter gave him a quizzical glance.

"What do you mean?"

"I know what you're planning...and I won't let you summon Exodia on me." he said with a sharp grin and the hunter gasped. _'How did he figure me out!'_ he thought in horror but only smirked, trying to wipe the worry from his mind. "Yes...yes I am...but what are you gonna do about it on your next turn?" he questioned. Yami smirked as he drew his card. "This will stop you and make your entire strategy fall apart." he said. Jou grinned as he watched the duel commence. _'I tried to tell him about this guy beforehand but Yami stopped me and soon figured out his strategy on his own. He knew his deck will crush any dirty tricks trying to be used against it. So once again, you taught me something else...'_ he thought as Yami prepared to make his move.

_'A duelists confidence! That thing called pride!'_

The hunter growled that his strategy was foiled but he knew it wouldn't matter anyway. He still had the duel in the bag with the final piece waiting to be drawn and he knew there was little Yami could do to screw it up now. Yami only chuckled once more which caught his attention. "I can read your eyes. You think I can't stop you but how wrong you are. Now watch me." he said as he drew his card and looked at it. _'Chain Destruction. If I play this, I won't be able to place a monster down. A risk but I'm sure the snarky bastard across from me has most of the pieces if he's as underhanded as I can think.'_ Yami thought as he set the card down. "Now my friend! Attack his stone statue with Chimera Impact Dash!" he called and the dual headed creature roared before charging forward, taking out the 2000 def monster with ease.

But the hunter wasn't fazed by the destruction of his monster. He only had his mind set on one thing and that was the end of Yami's turn. "Now, I set one more card face down and end my turn." Yami spoke, knowing he had to keep sharp to not miss the window of opportunity to break the Exodia strategy the other had. _'That's it! My cue to your demise!'_ the hunter thought with glee. "Now it's my turn! You played well demon but now your first duel of the tournament is your last!" he cackled as he went to draw his card.

_'Now!'_

"Before you draw, I activate my spell! Lightforce Sword!" Yami called and the hunter gaped. "Now, this card will take one of the cards in your hand and force it upon the field." he said as the sword of light appeared above the hunter's hand. _'If I miss an Exodia piece...then it's game over and soon, the whole tournament will be infested with the dirty rodents that are Ghouls.'_ Yami thought. The sword shot down, stabbing through a card and revealed it on the field to be Exodia's right arm. _'Gotcha.'_ Yami thought with a smirk.

"Whoa! Exodia's hand!" A duelist cried out as Jou cheered. _'You got it!'_ Jou thought happily. "But I'm not done yet for with his right arm on the field activates my trap! Chain Destruction!" Yami said as the card revealed itself and soon launched a chain out through the arm and into the hunter's deck. "I'm sure you know the basis of Chain Destruction but let me explain it to the newer duelists. Chain Destruction will destroy not only the monster on the field but any duplicates in your hand and deck as well. So with that...Exodia will never awaken." Yami said, smirk present as the hunter watched his strategy fail so close to being complete.

_'No! He got me with a spell/trap combo! How can this be? I was so close!'_ he thought as the arm was destroyed along with the others hiding away in his deck. _'Exodia...is crumbling right before my eyes...'_

"Once Exodia's parts have been placed into the grave, there's no way to bring them back. And without him, you have no way to win. You see, with an Exodia deck, the only way to dismantle it is to make the opponent lose one of its limbs for good. Without that, you're doomed. So with that, you deck is dead!" Yami said, flexing his revealing claws as he glared at the duelist across from him. The hunter, shaken that his strategy failed, could only murmur of his lost before he soon screamed a horrible scream.

"No...no! He's coming...he's coming!" he said in a ear splitting scream, eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head as an engraving of a familiar eye glowed upon his forehead. _'That symbol...it's that of the wadjet eye!'_ Yami thought which also alerted Aqua. "Yami, what are you doing!" Jou called.

"It's not him, but another." Aqua confirmed before the man went silent. Soon, a chuckle not of his own escaped his lips as he looked to the other with soulless eyes. "Are you Yami, the demon king?"

Yami only nodded, eyes narrowed at the new presence that permeated the air now. "I heard of you. This fool of a man you just faced is a weakling. A pawn to the Rare Hunters. The real strength is much greater than you can comprehend." he spoke but knowing the other must be confused, he only chuckled again. "Ah, no need to be alarmed. I just speak through this shell. I'm in a different location but I've implanted a bit of myself into this man so I can control him whenever I wish!" The other, now revealing himself to be a completely different man, spoke and Yami snarled.

"Who are you!"

"Like your little lover, I too am one to control one of the Sennen items. But this is naught but an introduction. It's nice to meet you, demon king Yami. My name is Malik so remember that for we might just cross paths depending on how much of my plans you plan to disrupt." he spoke.

Jou ran over to Yami's side. "This is weird. It's like that guy is a megaphone for some other crazy nutjob." Jou murmured.

"You are quite right. This man is not who you hear. But me as I take over his mind and controlling their speech as if my own. That's the power of the Sennen Rod." Malik spoke once more.

_'So this is the Rod's power. So this must be the enemy that Ishizu mentioned to us.'_ Yami thought. "You creep! How can you take over someone's free will!" Kaiser hissed. "Why not? Want to see him do a little dance befitting for a pathetic loser like him?" Malik questioned as the man was moved as if operated by puppet strings with Malik as the puppeteer. "If I must, I'll step in to take control of all the Rare hunters currently scattered throughout Battle City. But they are elites with extraordinary skills so I doubt I'll have to go to such length when I am reassured that their strength will overwhelm the small fry of this tournament."

"Malik! Tell me who you really are and why are the Ghouls here!" Yami demanded with a snarl, feelings his demonic features making a rise. "Now now, Yami, wouldn't want people to know that you really are a demon but to satisfy your curiosity, I'm here for the three ancient cards that were resurrected into the modern world. The three God cards." Malik spoke and Yami's eyes widened. "Yes, according to the Ancient Egyptian scrawl from the tablet, three stone slabs were said to possess the ultimate power over mankind. The god of the Obelisk, Osiris the Sky Dragon and Sun Dragon Ra. With those three in hand and the title of the king will be granted the powers of darkness."

_'The title of king...and the powers of darkness...could this be part of the mystery of our past...'_ Yami wondered.

"We Ghouls already have two but there is still one to obtain and I hear it's being held by someone here in town." Malik spoke.

"So that's why you're here! To obtain to last God card!" Aqua growled. _'But who could possibly have it.'_ Yami thought.

"Well as I've said before, this is only a weakling. You are lucky to not face one of my stronger Ghouls. But as long as he lost, I shall abide to the rules and present to you the rarest card in the deck that was stolen from your friend there." he said as he controlled the man to take out the Red Eyes and handed it over to Yami as well as the puzzle card. "But Yami...the game has only begun...a Rare Hunter with a God card lurks in your town. If you have the misfortune to meet him, you will be defeated even with your impeccable skills." Malik spoke.

"We see about that." he spoke as he glared at the man. "I'm going to put a stop to your plans."

Aqua nodded in agreement, also hoping that with the course of the tournament, Yami would find hints to their lost memories as well. _'The Sennen Rod has summoned us to the battlefield, now its time to take upon the challenge given to us.'_ Aqua thought as Yami spoke once more.

"Malik, even if your Rare Hunters attack me with a God card, you won't stop me! I will not lose! I will defeat you and end your plan for good!"

Malik chuckled from his hideaway and nodded. "I look forward to that, Yami." he whispered through the hunter. "But with the duelists gone and unaware of this plight, I offer this fool as a snack. Make it last for it might be your last." he spoke before severing ties to the man and the hunter fell in a heap onto the ground. _'The Millennium battle has begun now. Let's see who comes out on top.'_ Malik thought.

When the man fell, Kaiser stepped over and nudged the man. "Damn, he's out cold." Kaiser murmured before looking to Yami who walked over to Jou. "Here, Jou-kun." he said, holding out the Red Eyes to him. Jou looked to the card and then to Yami before lifting a hand to push the card back to him. "Jou-kun?"

"I can't take it, Yami. If I do, I will only fall farther behind from becoming what I want to be. That Red Eyes mean more to me than anything. She's been there by my side through thick and thin but I've leaned on her for too long. If I accept her from you, I won't grow stronger." Jou spoke and Yami smiled a little. "I see."

"Yeah, and it's not just that either. With the way I am right now, she won't accept me. So I'll leave her with you, Yami." he said as he pulled out his own deck. "I already made a deck that doesn't include her in it and I'm going to get far in this tournament to prove that I'm the real thing. I still have my puzzle card and Time Wizard for an ante so I'm still in. I'll become a true duelist through Battle City and if not, I'm going to keep on trying." he said before looking to Yami. "But promise me something."

"Sure, what is it?" Yami asked.

"If I do everything right in the tournament and the moment I can call myself a true duelist...will you fight me?" he asked.

Yami blinked at the proclamation but nodded either way. "Of course." he said with a smile. Jou nodded and smiled back before giving a thumbs up to him before turning away. "Well the tournament is just getting started! Who wants a piece of me and my new deck!" he called and Yami chuckled as he looked to Aqua who grabbed the knocked out Rare Hunter and took off to the skies with it. He then turned back to Jou as he searched for a worthy opponent.

_'I've been waiting to hear those words from you for a while, Jou-kun. For now, I'll hold on to the Red Eyes for you until then.'_ he thought as he slipped the card into the deck holster.

Jou looked up to the bright skies that dawned a new beginning for him. _'Wait for me, Red Eyes...I will be strong so that it isn't your strength I'll be depending on but you depending on my own just as equally.'_ he thought before he and Yami went their separate ways.

_'And when that time comes...we'll meet again!'_

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Zypher: Alright, all done here after who know how long of a wait. Very thought heavy this chapter is. But I do come bearing sad news. The idea well for my Yugioh fiction is going dry so updates will be slow and a possibility of a few stories being discontinued except for the few series one such as this, Two Worlds, Will of the Dragon, Challenge of the Kombat and Chains of the Seal. Some others will be continued as I squeeze out what I can to try and get them finished but other than that, there is little possibility of explosive updates except for the series/crossover story, especially Dark Saga being my biggest one. I'll still be around but only in different categories, mostly One Piece and possibly Kuroshitsuji after I get more into the series. but I hope you all enjoyed this long awaited chapter and hopefully I'll be back a little sooner with another chapter for you all.


	35. A Psychic Nightmare

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 35

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After that duel that revealed that Rare Hunters were working their way through picking off people for their rare cards along with looking for the last god card in Seto's possession, Yami and Jou went their separate ways. Jou hummed as he walked with Kaiser, watching as various duelists battled. Soon, he heard some cheers and looked up. "Sounds like a good duel is going on right now. Wanna check it out?" he asked and Jou nodded. "Yeah. Let's get a look at the rest of the competition that's here." Jou answered as they went over to where the crowd was gathered and Kaiser looked over the teens' heads that were surrounding the field.

"Dinosaur Ryuzaki vs. Esper Roba! This is an awesome duel!" One of the kids shouted as they watched.

"Dinosaur Ryuzaki! My supernatural powers can see all and knows all! You have no chance of winning against me!" Roba spoke, smirking at the stunned dino duelist. _'Fuck! How does he know what my cards are!'_ Ryuzaki thought to himself. On his side of the field, his monster was fast asleep thanks to Roba's Mesmeric Control spell card and he was bound from using traps thanks to the towering monster that he had on his side of the field. "You can't break away from the cosmic forces, Ryuzaki! Your monster was placed to sleep thanks to my hypnotic control. Listen as it snores and can't be awakened. It's over for you." Roba spoke as he raised a hand.

"Now Jinzo! Destroy it and the rest of his lifepoints with Psychic Wave!"

The monster prepared the blast before sending it towards the monster, destroying it and finishing off Ryuzaki. "Whoa! ESP duelist Esper Roba smoked Dinosaur Ryuzaki!" A kid exclaimed and Kaiser whistled as he watched the ending of it with Jou. "Man, that kid's good." he murmured and Jou could only nod in agreement. "I couldn't even touch his lifepoints...he had me matched move for move and knew all of my cards before I could send them out..." Ryuzaki murmured in defeat.

"This guy's good. He already won two matches already..." A boy murmured.

"Yeah, I'm still amazed he beat Ryuzaki..."

Roba walked over to him and held out his hands. "Your rarest card and puzzle card if you will. I must hurry if I want to be the first to get to the finals." he said and Ryuzaki sneered but did as requested, handing over his rarest card as well as his puzzle card. Roba looked at the spoils he gotten and tsked. "That's it? I can't use this in my psychic deck." he murmured as he tucked it away and looked to the duelists that watched his previous match. "Now who wants to duel me?" he called out and most were silent, feeling as if they dueled him, they would end up the same thanks to Roba's psychic power.

"Man, I don't want to lose my best card so soon..."

"I don't know if he has ESP but I don't want him knowing all my cards if he does..."

Jou watched as the throng of duelists started dispersing before he looked to Roba who was waiting for his next opponent to step up. Jou was about to make his move but Ryuzaki spotted him and stopped him before he could try. "You must be empty in the head, Jounouchi. He can predict people's strategies along with knowing their cards. If I couldn't win against him, you are sure to lose." he said. Jou huffed as he looked to the other teen.

"You really think I can't beat him?"

"Yeah! You're just an amateur after all! Winning against me was just a fluke!" Ryuzaki said and Kaiser stuck his tongue out. "You wish, dino boy..." he murmured to himself as he watched Jou step up. "Alright then I will!" he said, confidence rising.

"You what!"

"You heard me!"

Ryuzaki could only sigh as he watched Jou go up against his doom. "What is he thinking? Does he really think he can avoid Roba's ESP strategy?"

"Yes, I think so and if he can't, at least he'll go down trying unlike these other guys." Kaiser spoke as Jou readied his deck. "He's right you know. Step one to becoming a true duelist: don't pass up on an opponent, no matter what! Step two: challenge stronger opponents to see how well you match up to them! Now come at me with your best, you ESP freak!" Jou called out and Roba smirked.

"My pleasure." he spoke as he got himself ready for the duel. "But before we commence the duel, let's confirm our ante cards. Mine will be the rare Jinzo the Psycho Shocker and of course a puzzle card."

"And mine's the Time Wizard along with a puzzle card just like you!" he said.

"Roger that! Now let's get started so I can be on my way with another rare card and puzzle card." Roba spoke as he readied his deck as well. Ryuzaki, after hearing the ante, glared at the other. "Hey, what'd you do with my Red Eyes!" he called.

"You mean my dragon! And it got stolen cause I screwed up!" he said. "The hell! How can you go and lose an extremely rare card like her! You know how much I had to do just to get it only to lose it to you at Duelist Kingdom?" Ryuzaki seethed.

"Yeah yeah, stop your whining, I got it back but someone's holding her for me...my rival!" he said before turning his attention back to the starting duel. _'I swore to Yami! When I become a true duelist, I'll duel him back for Red Eyes! On these streets I'll achieve that dream and be ready for him.'_

"But until then, I can't lose!" he said and Kaiser nodded. "You can do this, bro! I believe in you!" he called.

Ryuzaki spat to the side. "Give it up! You can't beat Roba with luck like you did against me!" Ryuzaki hissed. _'He can read his opponent's hand! What will it take for that to get through that guy's thick skull?'_ he thought to himself as he stayed to watch Jou crash and burn against the ESP duelist.

"Let's go!" Jou called as the duel began and their lifepoint count went to 4000. "I'll go first!" Jou said as he drew his hand and smirked. _'This is a nice hand! I should have no problem with this.'_ he thought. _'So let's start this off with a bang...'_ He went to send out his card when he took a glance at Roba, seeing him start up some meditative state before letting out a breath. "I feel the energy of the cosmos flow through me! Becoming one with me! At this time and place, I shall win this duel for it is my destiny!" Roba said and Jou flinched.

"What destiny!" He screeched. _'Forget him being an ESP freak! He's nuts!'_

"I shall win and nothing you'll do will stop me-"

_'Damn this radiowave whackjob!'_ he thought as he sent out his card like planned. "I send out Giltia the Dark Knight!"

"Hmph!" Roba huffed, raising a hand and soon, the card disappeared from the field. "What the-!" Jou gaped before looking to Roba. _'Maybe he does have ESP!'_

"Simply...the law of the cosmos." Roba spoke.

But unlike Jou thought, Ryuzaki burst out laughing along with a few duelists that stuck around to watch the duel. "Are you braindead or what? That's wasn't ESP, you idiot! It was the card you played!"

"What do you mean!" Kaiser growled, a thin line away from hitting Ryuzaki.

"You can't play a level 6 monster right off the bat! You have to sacrifice a lower level monster to bring it out! Those are the new super expert mode rules but apparently you didn't read them!" Ryuzaki explained with a snicker before wincing as Kaiser elbowed him. "Shut up before I give you a reason to." he hissed before sending a glare at a comment from another duelist who shrunk back. Jou flushed in embarrassment from making such a noobish mistake but composed him. _'I forgot about those! But at least it wasn't ESP so I'm not out of the game yet.'_

"You wasted a turn. A turn so precious that it will only lead closer to my win." Roba spoke before humming to himself as he concentrated once more. "A word of advice for you...the far left card is Swordsman of Landstar. Try playing it next time." he said and Jou's jaw dropped. "How the hell do you know that!" Jou squawked.

"It's a little thing called telepathy...my mind is one with the cosmos. I have achieved a state of absolute enlightenment! My awareness of the surroudings as well as your subpar dueling skills transcend space and time itself! We are made off the same particles, Jounouchi! I am you! I am your cards! Nothing shall stop me from winning!"

_'This is getting freaky but I can't let him deter me like this.'_ Jou thought as Roba played his cards. "Now, I play Cyber Raider and since you have no monsters, I can commence a direct attack!" he called and Jou gasped. "Cyber Knuckle!" Roba called and the monster shot forward, giving a nasty barrage of punches that took down Jou's lifepoints to 2600. _'Man...these may be holograms but they hurt like a bitch...'_ he thought. "Turn over." Roba spoke. "Now try to impress me."

"Yeah, my turn..." Jou murmured as he drew his next card._ 'Alright, can't make a blunder like earlier. Under super expert rules, if there are no monsters on the field, you can commence a direct attack. So I need to get a monster out and fast.'_ he thought to himself as he looked at his hand. _'Good, I have two dice cards in my hand. My monster won't be able to stand a chance with how they are now so hopefully this'll be a good gamble.'_

Roba huffed before he started his meditative work once again. "Channeling..." he hummed and Jou growled. "You radio nutjob! Stop that already!" Jou growled.

"Hmm...channeling complete. You drew another Graceful Dice card, didn't you?" Roba questioned which made the other bristle. "Does it shock you? My telepathic abilities are never wrong, a gift from the cosmos themselves. As of now, I'm communicating with the spirit of Pegasus J. Crawford, the designer of Duel Monsters who's disappearance wracked the dueling world." Roba spoke.

_'His spirit...that's the last thing I want to worry about after all we've been through with that guy.'_

"He's the master of this game! Therefore I will always know your hand!"

_'Jeez, is this kid really for real..._' Jou wondered to himself.

"Come on then! Play your next card!" Roba demanded.

Jou growled as he watched him. _'I don't know whether this guy is using ESP or speaking with ghosts...but one things for sure...he can tell what cards I have which is giving him an edge.'_ he thought before something came to mind. _'Wait...he said I drew a second Graceful Dice card. No way!'_ he thought then grinned. "Here I go! I bring out Swordsman of Landstar!" he called, bringing out the 500 atk monster. _'Even if his ESP is real, there's one thing he can't predict so easily!'_

"And then I'll place two face down cards and end my turn." Jou said.

Roba could only smirk. _'Face down cards...one is definitely Graceful Dice. So you think you can take out my monster with a roll of the dice? Too bad I already knew your plan from the start!'_ Roba thought. "Let's begin! I sacrifice a level 4 monster to summon the Fiend Megacyber!" he called, bringing out the 2200 atk monster onto the field. "Now! I activate Graceful Dice!" Jou shouted as the card flipped up, revealing it and a tiny minion holding a die. It tossed it and Jou can only hope for a five or more to be able to beat Roba's monster. And where he thought it would be the roll he wished for, it landed on three instead and he groaned. "Too bad, Jounouchi! Even with 1500 atk, your monster is no match for mine! Now attack, Fiend Megacyber!"

"I'm not done yet!" he said with a grin. "Activate trap! Skull Dice!"

The card activated, revealing another little minion, only on the devilish side, holding a die. It cackled as it tossed the die and let it roll, the result coming out as five. "And with that, your monster's attack decreases!" Jou announced as Roba's monster went from 2200 to 440 atk. "Now take it out!" The tiny swordsman shot forward, slashing at the monster and destroying it, bringing Roba's lifepoints down to 2940. "So, you thought I had two Graceful Dice cards in my hand. Tough luck for you that one covered the other so all you saw was the "Dice" name from my second card! So that goes to show you don't have telepathy!" Jou pointed out and growled. "So someone somewhere is peeking at my cards and relaying them to you! You're nothing but a sneaky scam artist!"

From their location, the younger siblings of Roba's gulped when they learned their brother was found out. "What do we do now?" One asked. "Roba can handle things from here. He's still a good duelist and can take out that amateur." Another said, giving a toothy grin to his brother.

"Spies you say? Who pray tell? There's no one in the audience that could be relaying me such information or they would've been caught by now so stop making pointless accusations. Besides, you only won one turn, this duel will still be mine in the end." Roba spoke. "A guess without basis is a speculation. I'll predict the future with my power and it'll come true! I will win and you will lose and how do I know? Because I never lost a duel in my life!"

Jou only snorted as he listened to Roba's speech. "I...I don't know what's gonna come in the future. For example, I could turn this next corner and see the next town or maybe there's a lady carrying a baby and shopping. That's about as far as I can see but there's a guy somewhere waiting for me to fight him as soon as we get to the finals! Somewhere, sometime, I'll meet him and we'll fight! And I'm fighting now because I believe in that future! Not some whacked out ramblings of a phony psychic!"

Roba only chuckled before giving the other a glare. "Then let me be the one to smash that future of yours cause you're not gonna win here! I don't need my powers to beat a duelist of your level!" Roba said as he looked at his hand. _'I don't need my psychic abilities to beat you. And I still have Jinzo the Psycho Shocker in my hand, the ultimate psychic card. I've already figured out the perfect way to kill you, Now I just need to execute it without fail.'_ Roba thought. "I play one card face down and end my turn." he spoke before handing the turn over to Jou.

"Alright, my go!" he said, drawing his next card. _'Oh, better hide my hand so I don't have people sniping it again.'_ he thought as he looked at his hand and smirked. _'Good, Alligator Sword is perfect!'_ He grinned before sending out his next monster. "I send out the Alligator Warrior! Now this game is all over! Both of you guys attack him and end this psychic nightmare!" he called and both monsters leapt in to attack. Alligator Sword hit first, taking Roba's lifepoints down to 1440. _'Just one more!'_

"Big brother!" The Roba siblings cried from their spot but Roba only smirked. "That's all the free hits I'm giving you, amateur! I activate my trap, Mind Control!" Roba announced and the Swordsman of Landstar was brought to a screeching halt. _'Oh man, he had a trap waiting for me!'_ Jou thought in shock.

"Now, your monster is my slave for the next two turns but one is all I'm going to need to finish you off. Although I could used it on your first monster but that would've end it in a draw and I need your monster alive..." Roba spoke.

Jou sneered before setting a card face down. _'Guess I better get on the defensive. Chasm with Spikes should do in your next monster.'_ Jou thought. "My turn is over now." Roba snuffed as he watched Jou make his play._ 'A trap for a trap...your one track mind is so easily predictable.'_ Roba thought and grinned. _'But soon enough, no trap will be able to trap me.'_

"My turn now. I'm going to cast this spell card...Brain Control!"

"Not again!"

"Now both of your monsters are mine to control! Behold my ESP deck "Mind Control" tactics!" Roba said with a laugh. "My aim was to steal your monsters so I can summon an even greater creature onto my side! Per super expert rules, you need two monsters to bring out a level seven or higher monster! Now let me show you just what you have to contend with! I sacrifice two monster to bring out the ultimate cyborg! Jinzo the Psycho Shocker!" he said as Jou's monster disappeared, bringing out the huge cyborg onto Roba's side of the field. The monster calculated the opponent's side of the field before its eyes began to glow. "Oh, and I must not forget to mention that Jinzo comes with a special ability." Roba spoke and a laser shot from Jinzo's eyes, taking out Jou's face down trap card.

"Whoa! My trap!"

"Yes! As long as Jinzo is on the field, traps are useless against him!"

_'No...'_

"And now with nothing else to worry about, kill him Jinzo with Cyber Energy Shock!" Roba called and the cyborg responded, gathering a giant ball of energy in its hands before unleashing it out on Jou. "Jou! Don't give up yet!" Kaiser called from the sidelines as Jou was knocked flat on his back from the attack, leaving him hanging on to a mere 200 lifepoints.

Roba laughed as he watched him. "Do you give up, Jounouchi! You might as well while you sill have some dignity left!" he said.

Jou growled as he stomp a foot on the ground as he moved to stand back up. "Give up...you wish, you psycho nerd! If I do that...how can I achieve my future?" he said as he gave Roba a determined glare that showed he was still ready to fight against all odds.

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Zypher: And there you have it. Another chapter done. There isn't much for me to say here so hope you enjoy and I'll see you later with another chapter.


	36. The Strength of the Heart

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 36

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_'My future...it might never happen...but when the time comes for it to happen...when I realize my own innner strength...I'll get to that place! The place where my battle awaits me...where Yami is waiting!'_ Jou thought as he gave an intense glare to Roba on the other end of the field.

"I made a promise...I have to be there for him...which means I can't lose against you!" he said with renewed vigor. But his bravado only made Roba laugh. "Dream all you like! I declare right here and now that your future is shadowed with defeat! You'll never win as long as Jinzo is on the field!" he said. "Look at you! Only 200 lifepoints left and not a single monster on the field to defend you! I like to see just how you're gonna win as you so claim!" Roba spoke. "Now hurry it up, it's your turn!"

"Watch me!" he said with determination as he drew his next card and looke at what available moves he had to defend against the powerhouse he was up against. His eyes widened as he spotted Baby Dragon in his draw but it left him litle option with his only other defense being Scapegoat. _'I'll bet it all on this card then...'_ he thought to himself. "I activate the spell card Scapegoat!" he said and Roba growled in irritation. _'Scapegoat! Four sleeping sheep are the only thing in my way of Jounouchi's total annihilation! But that will only buy him a little bit of time. I should have no problem clearing them out easily.'_ Roba thought.

"Turn over!" Jou said. _'This is all I can do...hope it holds out.'_

"Get ready!" Roba announced as he drew his card and smirked. "First I play Brain Amplifier! I equip this onto Jinzo and raise his attack by 500 points!" he said as the amplifier helmet was equipped onto the cyborg and supercharged the monster, increasing his attack to a whopping 2900. "But that's not all! His attack will only go up another 300 every turn! He will soon becoming formidable to even your strongest monster whatever it may be!" Roba said with a laugh while Jou cursed._ 'Great, how am I gonna beat that thing as it gets stronger with every turn!'_

"But I'm not done just yet! I now summon Reflect Bounder and with him out, that enables me to reflect every one of your attacks right back at you so even if you can send out a monster, you will only be killing yourself!" Roba said and laughed at his obvious victory. "Just give up while your diginity is still intact. There is no miracles for you as your future only holds defeat. Now double monster attack! Get rid of two of his scapegoats!" he called before the two moved in for the attacks, easily taking out two of Jou's scapegoats that rested on the field. "Only two goats left. If I summon another monster, you're done. I won! It's pointless to keep going so listen to my advice and give up!" he said with a nonchalant wave.

"It's still my move and I will fight to the bitter end!" Jou said and Kaiser smiled from the sidelines at the confidence his sibling showed. But his declaration only infuriated Roba more. "Why won't you give up?"

"Because I'm a duelist!" he answered which surprised the other at his burning determination that flared in his eyes. "Draw!" he called and when he saw the draw, he grinned. "Let see if your prediction that you so claim is right! Truy out this spell card...Roulette Spider!" he said as he placed the card onto the field and soon, a tiny spider appeared before latching onto Jinzo's face and blinded him from seeing the field. _'No...that weird monster blinded him!'_ But the Roulette Spider's game didn't end there as a web-like grid like a roulette table appeare on the field, a monster as well as Roba and Jou taking a spot on the grid while Jinzo held a spot in the center.

"Now this handy little cards turns the field into a roulette wheel. This of course will be my last gamble as it takes half of my lifepoints to activate." Jou spoke as his lifepoints decreased down to 100.

"W-wait! What are you trying to do!" Roba dmanded and Jou only chuckled.

"Like I said, this is a gamble for you and me." he said. "The Roulette Spider has only a simple motivation, to blind the strongest monster on the field and spin it around and said strongest would be your Jinzo. Now here's the kicker, after it's done spinning, it will attack whatever its pointing at. The possible targets are all monsters as well as you and me! The arrow will continue to spin until you call stop!" he explained which stunned Roba into silence._ 'His deck..it's a gamble deck and relies completely on luck! If the arrows lands on me...that will take me out completely!'_ he thought in horror.

"So if you got ESP like you claim, it shouldn't be hard for you to predict where your monster will stop on the board, even moreso know when to call stop so he would land on me! Someone is gonna get blown away so you best hope that isn't you, Roba!" he said. "Go Roulette Spider!"

After the call, Jinzo began to spin at alarming speed, making it harder for Roba to pick the perfect time to call stop to make it land on Jounouchi and end it quickly. Roba watched with increasing dread, eyes following the quickly moving arrow. Gambling wasn't his strong point which made this even harder to predict. Soon enough, he gave up guessing and only trust pure instinct that he will achieve the win he needed. "Stop!" he caled and Jinzo began to slow down, everyone around them watching with bated breath. Jinzo finally came to a halt and the spider released him, Jinzo preparing his attack that aimed...

...right at Roba's Reflect Bounder.

"N-no...that means..." Roba whispered as Jinzo launched his attack at Reflect Bounder which responded as directed for his effect, attacking with Mysterious Mirror Beam of Death to reflect Jinzo's attack right back at him, destroying both monsters. Shock was written upon Roba's face as his lifepoints decreased down to 240. "Oh, and I'm not done yet for I haven't even summon my monster." Jou said with a grin as he played his monster. "Come on out Baby Dragon!" he said as the tiny dragon appeared on the field with a squeak. Roba gulped as he took a step back.

"Let's go...Dragon Breath!" Jou called as Baby Dragon unleashed a rush of red hot flames at Roba, eating away the last bit of health, winning the duel that Ryuzaki didn't even expect him to win after his easy blunder when the duel began.

"Esper Roba...it was me who saw the future." Jou said as duelists all about him cheered at his victory.

Battle City!

Duelists have gathered here from around the globe to become the best! For true duelists...success in Duel Monsters is what separates a champion from a nobody and for the champions of the game...the road to success is through this city!

"Esper Roba...lost to that rookie...it's amazing..."

"So much for that ESP you claimed to have." Jou said. "I know from experience that psychic powers are real and you sure don't have them!" he continued as he walked over to the fallen duelist. "Now let me have your puzzle card and rare card!" Roba only growled as he looked to him before hearing the whispers around him and snarled. "All of you...don't you dare look down on me!" he hissed as he glared at the crowd. "Is this fun for you all? Looking down on the loser! Makes you feel all strong and thinking that I'm not a loser like '_him_'!" he seethed. "Well I'm not like you! I'm a chosen one with special powers!"

"And that's why you hear voices from space?" Jou questioned with a curious tilt of his head. "Look, Roba...I'm not looking down on you. I just had better luck, that's all! I could've easily been the one hit if you called sooner or hell, even later could've been a possibility. Nobody here thinks you're a loser." he said. "Besides, if anyone is looking down on you...wouldn't that person be you?" he questione softly as Roba's anger calmed just slightly before flaring up again. "Shut up! You don't know nothing!"

"Hey, hey! I'm just saying don't beat yourself up! Roba..."

"Fuck! I can't lose! I can't!" he cried. "It doesn't matter how I do it, as long as I win! I need people to respect me for my skill! If everyone thinks I'm a good duelist, my little brothers won't be picked on! Being good at card games was the only way how I could protect them from people...everyone loves to pick on the wimpy people...and those that look different...I have to be strong! For them!" he explained and Jou only listened on silently before Kaiser stepped forward to join up with Jou. "Stop your whining, kid. This is Battle City, just get up...and fight again another day." Kaiser murmured softly. Jou nodded in agreement as he held a hand out to him. Roba looked to the extended hand before slapping it away.

"I don't need your damn pity!"

"Fine, fine! Do what you want! See if I give a pep talk again..." Jou muttered as he shook his hand from the stinging pain.

"Stand up, big brother!" A voice called but Jou didn't se anyone stepping up or talking. _'Aw hell! Are there really voices from space talking with him!'_ Jou wondered.

"Don't give up like this, big brother! Come on!"

Jou was beginning to freak but Kaiser nudged him in the side before pointing down to Roba, preferably a tiny black band that was around his wrist that showed as his sleeve rode up a little. "Big brother..." A voice said from behind them, making Jou jump but then realized that the voice was coming from both ends, revealing the band to be a comminucation system.

"G-guys..." Roba whispered, surprised his brothers showed up. The middle boy of the four smiled softly as he spoke into the receiver of the headset he wore. "This will be our last radio message." he said. Roba stood, smiling just a little before running to them, the giant family of brothers embracing tightly. "I'm sorry...I deserved to lose this way because I made you guys do this..." Roba cried as his brothers joined him.

"Kinda hard to hate em now." Kaiser said with a chuckle as he looked to Jou who had the so called manly tears coursing down his face at the brotherly love. The Roba brothers broke the hug and Roba walked over to Jou, looked up to him. "Well Jounouchi, I lost. Here's my rare card and puzzle card." he said as he handed him the puzzle card and Jinzo. Jou nodded as he took both before patting the other on the shoulder. "Roba, what you really need to do...is show your brothers how to play fair!"

"You're right!" Roba said with an affirmative nod. "Next time we meet I challenge you! No tricks!"

"Yeah, big brother will beat you with pure skill!" The second youngest called.

"God, I'll be looking forward to that." he said before Kaiser began walking off, the crowd dispersing long ago so it was time for them to do the same. Jou was about to follow but stopped and turned to look to Roba once more. "Oh, Roba...I have friends in this town...and you have your brothers. As long as you're not alone, you'll always be strong in heart!" he said, giving him a thumbs up before running after Kaiser before he lost sight of him. Roba smiled and nodded to the encouraging words. "Well, see ya later, man!" he called before catching up with Kaiser and looped an arm around his neck. "Woohoo! I got me a rare card! And it's a doozy! Think I could beat Seto with it?"

"You're gonna need a lot more than a trap jammer monster to win against him." Kaiser answered.

"Aww come on! Where's my supportive brother!"

"On vacation until the next duel."

And with that, Jounouchi walks off with two puzzle cards and the rare card Jinzo.

0

-Domino City: North District 10:12 a.m.-

"Hey, what are you talking about!" A voice yelled angrily. In a deserted alleyway, a kid was defeated by an older duelist who was now raging over the ante card that he himself agreed to before the duel began. "This shittyrare card doesn't even compare to mine!" The older duelist growled.

"B-but you agreed to this ante earlier." The kid whimpered, outclassed in strength and size.

"Well I'm changing my mind! And the loser has to listen to the winner so I'm giving you three options! Give me a rare card that equals my Hyozanryu...pay me 100,000 yen (about $900 US currency) or get your ass kicked until I'm satisfied for my ante and as a plus, you'll never get to duel again!" he demanded. "T-this is all I have..." he whimpered as he held the card up to the other. "Fine then!" The punk hissed as he grabbed the frail boy's arm. "Then let's begin with breaking all of your little fingers!" he growled before the tweet of a whistle halted his game and he turned to see Mokuba standing there.

"Hold it right there!" he said as he stepped up.

"Who's this brat?"

"I'm Battle City's steering committee chairman! It's my job to settle disputes between duelists that come up during the tournament!" he said, plucking the card from the other's hand as well as the other. "Seems the ante trouble is becoming more frequent in tournaments. I'll be the judge of this ante since I'm a neutral party." he hummed as he looked between the cards. "It's also forbidden to change the ante after the duel and against the rules to bet for money." he added as he finished his analyzation of the two cards. "I see nothing wrong with the rarity. They're both equal so there's nothing wrong with this ante." he said as he handed the cards back but the punk only slapped his card from Mokuba's hand.

"You wanna die, kid! Don't mess with my rules!" he growled and Mokuba tsked before a dark shadow landed before them. Ruby gave a snort as he rested on all fours, letting the person he carted on his back to step off.

"You poor duelist...when you insult our little brother...you insult the Kaiba Corporation." Seto spoke with narrowed eyes. "I would assume youu're prepared for such consequences."

The punk stumbled back in shock at who appeared before him. "S...Seto Kaiba!"

Mokuba could only chuckle as he stood beside Ruby and scratched behind on of his ears. "You're in trouble now! My brother's rules are scary! You should've never tampered with them! It's out of my hands now!" he said with a soft laugh before moving back as Ruby stood, dusting off his hands as he walked forward. "Oh, Ruby! Here's this guy's ante!" he added, waving the card. He nodded as he took the card and hummed. "Hyozanryu...I'm surprised you want so much for a card like this. It may shine like a diamond but it dims in comparison to a real dragon. Seto has 36 copies of this common monster." he spoke before tearing the card in half. "I rather give it solace from a duelist like you."

"W-what are you doing! You bastard!"

"Ah ah, no need for name calling. Besides, not like you're gonna need it back for you awakened the sleeping dragon right here." Ruby said as he stepped back, nodding to Seto. "I don't need to speak for him about your fate right now."

"I challenge you to a duel right here and now and I assure you, I won't lose." Seto spoke, a smirk on his face. "But to make it fair per my solid gold rulings, I'll ante this entire case of cards if you do manage to win against me." he said as Mokuba opened the case that Ruby had carried with him, revealing dozens of rare cards that the punk had ever seen only in hobby shops for a pretty penny.

"Whoa..." he whispered as he knelt before the case. "All these are mine if I win?"

"Yes but only if you can win but Seto's words are sure." Ruby spoke. "And you know what, I'll sweeten the deal as compesation for Hyozanryu, take all the rare cards you like and improve your deck but if you lose, I'll be taking them all back." Seto spoke but before he could finish the sentence, the punk was already digging through the case, picking out the rarest and strongest cards to improve his deck with.

"Fair warning though, my deck contains an unbelievably rare card. A god card is what they call it. A card I wouldn't sell even for 50 billion yen ($450,000,000 in US currency) and I'll even make it my ante." Seto said, still smirking which stunned the punk as he looked up to Seto._ 'F-fifty billion! I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams if I were to sell that card!'_ he thought before going back to pumping up his deck with the most powerful monsters to make the duel a quick one. "Alright, I'll hold you to that." he said as he finished and Ruby kicked the case closed and picked it up before he and Mokuba stepped back to give them room to duel. The kid that was being bullied did the same, amazed that he was about to watch a duel between Seto Kaiba and his opponent.

Seto was confident as he stood there but the punk's mind was only focused on the god card along with the case of rares that was Seto's ante._ 'This is going to be easy! I've beefed up my deck with the best. No way even he can win and he was the one to help me make this killing deck!'_ he thought. "C'mon let's duel!" he called and Seto nodded before they both shuffled and prepared their duel disks.

Seto's grin became wicked as the duel began.

_'I'll show you God.'_

Not long after it began, a huge flash emerged from the alley and the aftermath left the punk in the dust, cards scattered while Ruby took to the skies with Seto and the case, Mokuba hanging onto a long line as he flew overhead. The kid that was being bullied stood shakily before walking over to the downed punk and took a card from his deck, looking to him before tearing it as well before tossing it into the wind before walking off, justice finally served to the punk that wronged him. It took only a moment for the punk to snap out of his shock onto to scream.

"Obelisk the Tormentor!" Was the only words that energed for him before he screame again at the immense power that flattened him.

Seto looked to the god card that sat within his dek smirking softly. _'God is in my hands...and only two are left scattered somewhere in Battle City. When I find them...I will truly have a deck of God himself! A deck that will have every duelist bowing down before me!'_ he thought before looking to Ruby. "Ruby, I want you to find the system glitch that allowed Jounouchi into this tournament after you drop us off. I want word from you the moment you find it before you go searching for him."

"Alright, Seto." he spoke as he flew on.

With that taken care of, he looked out to the expanse of the city that was now a battlefield.

_'Yami...I will meet you on the road of battle!'_

0

Zypher: There's that all for today's chapter. Hoped you enjoy and now time for a quick Duel Monster story. Still pondering on whether I should keep up with them but I'll leave it up for you readers to decide on a poll I'll make in my profile soon enough.

-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's deck-

Monsters crowded the newest addition to their deck, Laito poking the other monster curiously. "So, how's it feel to be in a new deck?" Fier questioned as he looked up to the tall cyborg.

"Different. Fresh." Jinzo spoke with monosyllabic curiosity. "Any different from the deck you were in before?" Ohtar asked. "Yes. New. No metallic." Jinzo answered and he nodded before looking to the young dragon. "Laito, stop poking him."

"But he's so interesting! I never saw a monster like him before!"

"What about Ultimator?"

"Jinzo's more interesting!"

"Hey!" Ultimator called from the crowd and they all chuckled. "Nice. All." Jinzo murmured and Laito smiled up to him. "Of course! You'll never see nicer monsters anywhere else! Well Maybe Master Yami's but you gotta watch who you piss off though." he hummed as he pondered before Fier walked over and patted the cyborg's arm. "Well make yourself comfortable here. With an ability like yours, Master Jounouchi will probably fit you in so you can help him out. He's gonna need it for what's to come. I'm sure there are stronger opponents out there now. I can feel it." he said. Giltia nodded in agreement.

"I agree with Fier. And also being around Laito will probably break you of your monsyllabic talk. You got a big brain so I'm sure there's much intellect hiding there." Giltia said and Jinzo nodded before Laito tugged on his hand and soon, the tall cyborg was following the tiny dragon as he introduced him to the monsters of Jounouchi's deck.

"Home. I like this home." Jinzo spoke, a calm glint in his red lenses as they walked.

-Shadow Realm: Kaiba's deck-

Nothing but silence reign in this domain, the monsters of the deck silent as they went about their own, carrying near silent conversations. As regal and brave they are, they were dwarfed by the immense power that now resided in their domain.

Such a power was too much to be out in the open, therefore a temple was erected for the containment of this monster. An Egyptian temple sat with the center of Kaiba's deck, sandstone door locked tight and hieroglyphs carrying the story of said monster that sat inside. No one could read them nor did they go near the temple.

A god rests inside with sandstone door locked tight, only to open once summoned to battle.

And when he emerges, only death awaits the one that gets in the tormentor's way.


	37. The Conjurer of Magic

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 37

0

The Battle City tournament continued on and within it's depths, Yami walked in search of his next opponent._ 'They're all hiding somewhere in this city...the Rare Hunters.'_ he thought as he looked about with sharp eyes like that of the hunter he was._ 'And Malik, possessor of a Sennen Item, lurks somewhere to watch and controls them from the shadows. I don't know what his motive is but are they planning to ambush me? But no matter...just you wait...for I will hunt you down myself!'_

From his location, Malik sat, gaze dark as another Rare Hunter stood before him. "So, have you found out the owner of Obelisk?" he questioned.

"Yes, Lord Malik."

"Who is it?"

"Seto Kaiba. Domino City, North Block "C" is where he's located after being dropped off." The pawn spoke and he smirked. "I should have known." he murmured.

"But then how did he get such a card in his possession though?"

"I can only imagine." Topaz spoke from his spot beside Malik. "He would only host a tournament of this caliber just because he has such a card. And there is no doubt he will try to unify the gods in his hands." he explained and the pawn nodded once more as Malik was left to his thoughts._ 'Sister, only you had the last remaining god. You must have sensed a possible future by handing it over to Kaiba..to hand it over and for him to begin such a tournament like this...then you must hav known that my fate and Yami's would intersect each other in the midst of battle.'_ he thought silently._ 'But the gods will unite in my hands along with the title of King!'_

"Lord Malik, shall we assemble the Rare Hunters to go after Kaiba while he's still located in North Block?" The pawn asked.

"Kaiba is a exceedingly good Duel Monster player. Even the Rare Hunters will have trouble fighting him as long as the god card rests in his hands. So to fight a god card, you need to use a god card." he said and the pawn gasped, knowing where the master was going with such words.

"You wouldn't...!"

"Yes I would. I'll go to Battle City personally as the wielder of the Sun Dragon Ra." he said.

"But Lord Malik, you mustn't dirty your hands with such work. Leave us Rare Hunters to claim the gods for you."

"It wouldn't matter for I know I will have to challenge him son enough anyway. So let's leave him be. He might just end up becoming useful to us on the sidelines." Malik said before looking to them. "Put somebody on watch for Seto Kaiba and make sure not to lose him. But before that, I have someone else to entertain me...Yami." he whispered darkly and the pawn knew such. He as well as the others knew that Malik only uses the words 'entertain' with matters of such hatred. Topaz knew what his sibling wanted and pointed to another Rare Hunter. "You. Where is Yami location right now?"

"My lord? Are you certain..."

"Yes, now stop asking and tell us where he is."

He nodded before getting information from another Rare Hunter. "His location currently is East "B" block but he's heading towards "E" block." he spoke.

Malik nodded and sat there pondering. The pawn watched on curiously._ 'Our number one objective is to collect the remaining god card and yet the lords are after Yami. What could they need him for?'_

"Hmm...I see..." Malik said, smirking softly. "There is only one place he could be going right now..." he spoke before looking up once more. "Call Rare Hunter number 2, Pandora the Conjurer. Tell him to prepare for a duel. Yami should soon appear right before him." he said and the pawn nodded although surprised and yet confused just a tad. "It'll take us a while to arrive at Domino City. So let the demon play with Pandora for a bit." The pawn nodded once more.

"I've also ordered him to keep an eye on Yami's friends."

"Good. We'll use them in some way too. Especially since one has close connection with Kaiba and chances are, they will collide and make our job even easier should my pawn fail to follow orders and lose Kaiba." he said before moving to stand and walked off, waving for Topaz to follow as they walked off, moving over to a display case that held one card behind the glass. The Sun Dragon Ra waited there and Malik lifted the glass, removing the card and glanced to it._ 'The Sun Dragon Ra...beware, Yami for I must take care of you with my own hands!'_ he thought before removing the cloak, revealing his bare chest as well as his back that was littered with scars of ancient carvings. _'I swear by the scars that carve my flesh...these scars of hatred that I will defeat you!'_

Topaz placed a hand on his shoulder and Malik looked to him, accepting the small token of comfort. "I know, Malik. We will never forgive him for what he has done, for what that demon has caused! We shall never forgive him for killing Father!" he hissed and Malik nodded before Topaz passed his shirt to cover the scars before getting everything ready for departure.

0

-Battle City Domino City, East Section: 10:36 A.M.-

Yami looked around once more, seeing crowds of duelists but none were the targets of his concern. Aqua was up in the skies to keep an eye out from there to give the other a bird's eye view. _'Where could they be? Somewhere in this crowd are Rare Hunters waiting to prey upon duelists...using their filthy bootleg copies to win their duels with no challenge and take honest cards with no effort!'_ he thought with a growl. _'There has to be a clue in finding them...'_

[I wonder what Jou could be doing.] Yugi spoke through the link.

[Are you worried about him, little one?] he questioned.

[Well, he doesn't have his trump card Red-Eyes so I'm just a tad worried. I have the feeling that with such good players that Seto would omit him from the tournament not out of spite but to protect her from being taken by a duelist unfit to wield her except for Jou.] Yugi said and Yami could only nod, reaching into the deck box and brought out the dragon in question. He could feel her worry as well for her previous owner but also the blinding determination that she would return to Jou's hand soon enough. [Love, this card holds all of Jou-kun's courage. We hold it right here in our hands and no one will gain her from us.] he spoke and Yugi nodded, seeing where he was going.

[So Jou is working to get his favorite card back so we gave him something to fight for!]

[Exactly. Holding onto her for him will give him the chance to show his true strength.]

[Ok, I see now! This is wonderful! I know he'll survive Battle City! He just has to!] Yugi said and Yami chuckled softly as he continued to looked to the Red-Eyes, feeling her soul speak to him._ 'When the time comes, I'll accept his challenge head-on! Katsuya Jounouchi...the duelist!'_

Yugi sat within his soul room, pillow held close to his chest. _'It won't matter which one of us wins...it'll still be a duel to remember.'_ he thought before gasping softly. [Oh, Yami, I hope you didn't hear my thoughts. I don't was to despair you with the fact that yours and Aqua's memories are still lost from before you met me.] he said but didn't get a response. He tilted his head curiously before realizing Yami's gaze was watching the Red-Eyes intently. [Yami?]

Cerise eyes widened in realization which startled the younger. [What's wrong?]

"Remember what you told me, love? That Seto would possibly omit Jou-kun from the tournament so he wouldn't lose the Red-Eyes? I knew there was something odd that day but I didn't point it out before." he whispered softly. [What was it?]

"The clerk said he was underleveled to join the tournament but then said there was a bug which allowed him to enter. Then he was attacked the night just before the tournament...and yet they challenged him with a duel disk, knowing he was a tournament participant. They knew he had the Red-Eyes but how is the question..." he questioned.

Yugi gasped as it came to him. [The card shop! The clerk looked up our information when handing out the Duel Disks! If Ruby was in charge of preparing for the tournament with leveling players based on skills then everything would be legal and even he wouldn't change the levels for any duelist right then and there!] he said and Yami growled. "So that's it..." he hissed before taking off with unnatural speeds since flying would only raise too many questions. _'That store is a front for the Rare Hunters! Don't you dare move, scum, for I'm coming after you!'_ It didn't take him long to reach the hobby shop where they received their duel disks, a closed sign on the door and lights all out. but Yami didn't believe such a farce.

He walked over to the door and rested a hand on the handle. "Closed..." he whispered before pushing the door opened, revealing it wasn't locked. [Yami...I have a bad feeling about this...] Yugi whispered but the other soothed his soul as he stepped inside, claws out just in case as he stepped into the dark shop. He walked over to the counter where the computer rested, now facing him. It came on by itself and he growled slightly as he looked around. [Yami, look there, your information is on the screen.] Yugi spoke as he looked back to the screen.

But soon, the screen began to glitch as the Black Magician's face changed, revealing a more darker form before emerging from the computer, grinning darkly.

"Yami, I have been expecting you. I knew from the start you would return here to confront me." The monster spoke as he looked down to him. "My master Pandora will duel you."

He growled, claws tensed and the other Black Magician laughed before pointing his staff at him. "I'll show you who is the true master of the spell-casters...the mighty Pandora the Conjurer!" he spoke once more and Yami only snorted as he looked to another corner of the room. "Stop your petty tricks and come out, Rare Hunter." he spoke.

A clap was heard as a spotlight came on behind said Rare Hunter, revealing Pandora to him. "Welcome, I am the second Rare Hunter. My name is Pandora as my magician has told you." he spoke as the Black Magician moved over to Pandora. "But I also go by the Conjurer, the Black Magician user..."

"Black Magician user, huh?" he questioned mockingly.

"Yami, I know you as well use the Black Magician in your deck and you've defeated man foes with him. But I am the true master of magicians! No one can beat my Black Magician!"

"Is that so? Well just have to see about that then. Out of the thousands of cards available, duelists build their decks out of the trust of their monsters and themselves. The cards choose their masters as well." he said, bringing out his duel disk and pulled out his own Black Magician which materialized right behind him, glaring at the faux copy behind the enemy. "Card and duelist! Bound by trust will they show their true potential but none of you Rare Hunters have a heart to trust, the heart of a duelist!" Those words made both monster and duelist cringe and growl at the demon. "So with that, I'll accept your challenge, Pandora! I'll fight you, magician vs magician and we'll see who's fit to wield the Black Magician!" Yami said, eyes narrowed in determination.

0

Zypher: And here with are with the beginning of another big battle now with Yami vs Pandora. I can already see the next one being a long one but it will be worth it to read. Might get started on it soon since it'll be a doozy of a chapter. Early start, early finish. But anywho, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you later with another. Also the poll is up on whether I should keep going on with the Duel Monsters stories in my profile so if you haven't voted yet, now's the time. First option to hit 10 will be the option I go with for the rest of this story. Ja ne, readers.


	38. Pandora

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 38

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"Good. Just the words I wanted to hear. There is only room for one magic-themed duelist in the world so whoever wins this duel will earn the title Master of Magicians!" Pandora spoke. "This is truly an honor. But I'm afraid this room is much too cramped for our duel but I have looked ahead and prepared a duel arena for us both in the basement." he continued as he waved for Yami to follow as he went over to a set of stairs and walked down. "Mind the stairs." They made their way down and Pandora smirked. "Incidentally, Master Malik told me that you would be arriving so I prepared a _special_ something for you so you wouldn't get bored. A demon of your caliber must get bored with simple dueling."

_'Malik!'_ he thought in shocked and growled. "The leader of the Ghouls and the owner of the last Sennen item." he whispered before stopping in his tracks as he looked to Pandora's back. "You talked to Malik! Where is he! Tell me!" he hissed. Pandora stopped as well and smirked. "Where is he now? He might be close, very close. Like right up here." he spoke as he pointed to his head, preferably his mind._ 'That's right, Malik has control over his underlings and he can make them do whatever he wants whenever he wants to. Could he be watching right now?'_ Yami wondered and tsked in annoyance. They continued to walk until they came to a question mark door. "Ah, here we are. This is my underground arena." Pandora said before opening the door.

"Pandora's Room."

The room was decked out with occult and magic items from scary mask motifs to mystic boxes and blank mannequins. _'This room is like a bad dream.'_ Yami thought as he looked about before turning to look to Pandora as he began to speak. "A conjurer has many tricks, from simple card tricks to bring nightmares to life with the flick of a wrist. And now...I believe this room is a wonderful and worthy stage for Black Magicians to duel to see who's superior in the dark arts." he said, walking to the other side of the hexagram table, smirking all the while as he brought out his deck. "Now let's shuffle our decks and begin." he said as he shuffled his deck and Yami did the same. He watched as Pandora shuffled and snorted.

"Shotgun shuffle will damage your cards."

"I'm used to it this way." Pandora said as they set their decks on the table and pushed them to the opponent to cut. "You know, there's an old saying among gamblers that I know...'Trust your friends, but always cut the cards'." he continued. Yami huffed as he cut Pandora's deck. "Friends, only few get to be friends with a demon and you're not one of them." he said. "A pity but now that we are commited to the duel, I'd like to show you something that will prove we're blood brothers." Pandora whispered as he grinned. "A nightmare world with you as the star!" he exclaimed as he grabbed a chain hanging from the ceiling and pulled and before Yami could react, heavy metal shackles clamped around his ankles. Yami gave a roar of protest.

"Don't worry! You're not alone for I have them too so neither of us can escape! Now to witness the greatest show of the century! Pandora's Escape from the Jaws of Death!" he said as two large metal blades emerged and Yami hissed and snarled as he tried to force the shackles from his legs but they held fast, showing that either Pandora or Malik himself knew of his strength and made sure that he couldn't escape so easily from the duel should Pandora have the skill to win against him. "Ah, did I scare the all mighty demon? Good! Fear this 100-tooth carbide tipped saw! The same used to saw women in half! As you guessed, this duel will use my house rules!" Pandora said with glee. "Now, let me point you to the numbers written on the saw's rails, those represent our lifepoints."

_'Shit, as we lose lifepoints, the blade will get closer and closer until...'_ Yami thought.

"..until chop! You'll be sawed in half! Even a demon can't survive being sawed through the middle, I'm sure!" he continued. "But don't worry, as you can see right underneath me is a box. You have one as well. This box is designed to open once your opponent's lifepoints reach zero. The key inside will unlock the shackles around your ankles."

"This is insane!" Yami shouted.

"I may be but if you know ancient history well, Greek mythology says that Pandora's Box was created by the gods to contain all the evils of the world. But then a woman named Pandora opened it and all the evils escaped, bringing pain, suffering and evil. But one thing remained in the box for she closed it too fast, leaving hope behind. And for us, that key that rest inside these boxes represent our hope for freedom." Pandora said before cackling and Yami growled, dark powers emerging. "You think playing with a life is fun for you? A battle that kills people...I ask you, do you think this is fun?"

"Why yes. Cause I know I'll win. And why do you question me when you yourself are a demon. Playing with lives should be nothing new." Pandora whispered.

"That was my old self until my ways were cleansed by the warm light of my lover! You filthy scum! You will pay for this!" Yami growled. "I will bring you the edge of your life and we'll see how you like it! Rub me the wrong way and you may just lose it and it won't be by a saw!" he hissed and Pandora grinned at the thrill. "Fine by me!"

"Duel!"

"I'll begin!" Yami said as he drew his five cards and looked to his hand. Pandora did the same and smirked. _'Ah, and luck is on my side already for I have one of my Black Magicians in hand already! Of course, that wasn't luck.'_ he thought to himself as he kept the satisfied gleam in his eyes hidden from Yami._ 'As a professional stage magician, I know more than my share of techniques to cheat at card games...it's simple to get just what you need! There are so many ways to distinguish a card just from the back. Sanding, waxing, cutout, edgework, spotting, pegging. And a variety of others. But for this particular duel, I decide on the simple stripping technique and did it not just to one but **all** my Black Magician cards. And I set it up so that Yami would bring my Black Magician up to the top. And now, I'll teach you that you can't outwit a conjurer!'_

"Alright, I set one card face down and set Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense and end my turn." he said as he looked to him. "Now make your move."

"Gladly." he said, drawing his card. "I'll send Legion the Fiend Jester out in defense as well." he said as the monster appeared on the field. "End turn." he whispered. 'Now, according to super expert rules, I just need one more monster and then I can bring out the Black Magician!' Pandora thought. "Back to me!" Yami murmured as he drew his card. "Now, instead of playing another monster, I'm going to activate a spell card instead! Card Destruction!" he said as the card appeared onto the field and Pandora gasped in horror. "Now, we discard our hands! Go on now, Pandora." he hissed as he sent his hand to the graveyard and drew his new hand but Pandora was hesitating as he looked to his Black Magician that he has in hand.

"I suppose by your expression that I was right to assume that you had Black Magician in your hand." he said and Pandora made a sound of surprise. "Only a fool would duel a conjurer without knowing their tricks. Any idiot who shotgun shuffles doesn't care for his cards and therefore means that he altered his cards in some way. As for you, you thinned the edges of your Black Magicians to get easier access to them the moment I cut your deck." Yami explained.

"So...you knew about my trick and yet you stil cut my deck anyway?" he whispered before growling. "Shit!" Yami could only chuckle as he watched the other become flustered but discarded his hand to draw a new one. "But I'm not finished just yet. Now open face down, Brain Control!" he said as the card flipped up ad brough his jester onto his side. _'No, not Brain Control!'_ Pandora thought in horror. "And now I'll sacrifice them both to bring out the Black Magician!" he called as the two monsters were sacrificed and the purple clad magician appeared onto the field, giving a glare to Pandora, knowing his master's anger towards the man._ 'The...the Black Magician!'_

"Now, let me show you the anger of the cards when you cut them." Yami hissed. "I'll play any game, no matter how dangerous they can get. My anger shows in my cards and they understand and fight to represent it. And my dear companion here will show you the anger of harming the soul of a card by altering it." he continued before nodding to the magician. "Go, Black Magic!" Mahaado raised his staff and unleashed a powerful blast to hit Pandora directly, knocking him down to 1500 in one hit and Pandora cried out in pain as the attack hit and the saw blade inched closer to the point he could feel the rushing wind from the spinning blade. "Looks like you'll be cut faster than you comprehend, conjurer. Let's see this 'show of the century' and try to escape your own trap." Yami whispered.

Pandora only screeched in terror and Yami smirked, showing sharp fangs. "Why so afraid, Pandora? You shaved your cards to get easy access to them so what's the harm of being 'shaved' by a blade. You might not feel a thing like you assumed your cards didn't feel anything as you trimmed them." he mocked. "But if you give up, I'll let you go with a warning to never cross me unless you truly wish to die."

But the response wasn't one he expected as Pandora becgan to cackle. "This is wonderful! Such a rush when brought so close to death! The tension! The frission!" he said as he grinned and Yami's eyes narrowed. "Listen, Yami...I am a conjurer..._I'm_ in control, not you! You are just the audience that will soon be extingushed by my superior skill! You shall soon see Pandora's Great Escape as you are sliced into ribbons!" he confirmed._ 'I wouldn't be the magician I am today without having a few tricks up my sleeve...'_

"I am the one who will escape...I am the one who will live...you will die here, demon! You and only you!" Pandora snarled and Yami gritted his teeth. "So much for audience sympathy. Don't expect me to give you that same respect. Let's continue on." Yami whispered. Pandora nodded as he drew his card._ 'So, he brought out his magician before I could. I can't allow another direct hit or I'm done for. But soon, the clash of magicians will happen and his will die.'_ Pandora thought as he set a monster in defense and a face down before ending his turn. _'Just one more hit and I can end this nightmare and get out of here.'_ Yami thought, unaware that Pandora was waiting for his monster.

_'Do it, demon. Bring out a monster. The moment you do, my Black Magician will be revived and destroy yours!'_

"My turn!" Yami drew his card before picking one. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior!" he announced and Pandora grinned as he fell for his trap. "Ah! You fell for it! Activate trap! Coffin of Dark Resurrection!" Pandora claimed and Yami gasped. The coffin appeared onto the field before it opened, revealing a hole inside of it that began to suck Beta as well as his own monster in. When the two were sucked in completely, the coffin slammed shut. "The coffin will resurrect my magician for the sacrifice of two souls! One of yours and one of mine!" Pandora explained. "Now come to me, Black Magician!" he called as the coffin opened and smoke misted from the coffin before the red clad magician was revealed. Eyes of evil opened before he emerged from the coffin and glared at the opposing magician that shared his name. _'Now the real batttle begins. Let's see whose magician will reign supreme.'_ Pandora thought.

_'Two monsters with the same attack can't attack recklessly. If they both went in for the attack, they will only destroy each other in a stalemate.'_ Yami thought. _'And summoning another monster will be dangerous as well. According to the rules of this tournament, the duelist must decide during their battle phase of whether to put the monster into attack or defense. And with such high-level monsters out, the first to summon a new one will be at a great disadvantage for having an easy target. And he knows this as well.'_ he contemplated before closing his eyes. _'The only out is to defeat the opponent with spells and traps.'_ His eyes snapped open and glared at Pandora.

"I'll play two cards face down and end my turn." Yami said as the two cards appeared on the field._ 'Ah, so you're not entirely ignorant of the situation when dealing with Black Magician.'_ Pandora thought as he drew his card. "I'll follow your example and play two face downs and end my turn as well." Pandora spoke and Yami nodded. He drew his card and played another face down and Pandora did the same as his turn came around. Soon enough, the defensive plays left both of them with four face downs and two Black Magicians at the ready at their master's call. Pandora growled at the defensive play and decided it was time to deal with the matter head on. "Enough waiting, I'm going to attack and be rid of your magician!" he said. "I activate the spell card, Mystic Guillotine!" he said as the card revealed itself and a guillotine appeared onto the field. Shackles attached to chains shot out, wrapping around Mahaado's wrists and pulled him to lie flat on the guillotine, neck positioned under the blade and he began to struggle.

"Now die!"

The blade was released and Yami snorted. "Activating spell card, Magical Hats!" Yami called and a hat covered Mahaado just as the blade met with it, slicing it in half but Mahaado was safely hidden under another as three more appeared on the field beside the guillotine._ 'Damn you! He got away!'_ Pandora thought. "You can't escape me! Reveal Thousand Knives!" Pandora called as a multitude of knives appeared around his Black Magician, a few more knives held between his fingers before he unleashed them on the hats.

"Nice try! I use De-Spell to stop your attack." Yami countered and the knives disappeared into thin air, leaving the hats safe for another round and Pandora growled in anger. "Fine then! So be it! Attack, my magician! Black Magic!"

"Counter!"

Both magicians flew in and their wands clashed as they casted their spell and soon, both were destroyed in a stalemate. But the stalemate hadn't ended there as both Yami and Pandora activate Monster Reborn simultaneously, bringing back their magicians and Pandora's anger increase while Yami smirked at having him matched move for move. Pandora's Black Magician shared his sentiments, gritting his teeth as he glared at the opposing magician who only looked to him with a cold glare, much more composed than the other magician. _'Damn you, demon! You had a trump waiting for you too!'_ Pandora thought and knew he had to be rid of Yami's magician fast so that he could finish him off.

"Seems our magicians are evenly matched. Not bad, conjurer." Yami complimented. _'But I evaded his attacks so far but what does he have up his sleeve now? But I have trust in my Black Magician and I know he won't fail me at any crucial moment. Now let's see who will keep the trust of his monsters and his cards longer.'_ he thought.

_'The legends don't lie about your power, Yami. Your skills in the dark arts are astounding...but don't you dare forget that I have the upper hand over you! I've prepared for this battle for the longest time! I knew that you used the Black Magician as your trump many times before and so I've compiled a deck that would kill him, including the ultimate anti-spellcaster card...'_ Pandora thought. "Such a fierce exchange but the time for play is over. Only one shall reign supreme as a master of the Black Magician." Pandora spoke as he drew a card. "I'll play a face down card and end my turn." he said. "Back to me." Yami murmured as he drew his card. "I cover two cards and end my turn." he said.

Pandora grinned as he looked to the other. "Ready, Yami?" he aslked softly before he drew his card and raised a hand. "Activate spell card, Beckon to the Dark!" he called as the card flipped up and activated, thick smoke billowing above them before a giant monster claw reached down from the smoke for Mahaado who looked up in surprise along with Yami. "This hand will drag your monster down into the darkest layers of hell! That means your Black Magician is finished!" Pandora claimed with a cackle. "Not likely! I will protect his life like he would mine! I activate the trap card, Mystical Rift Panel!" he called as the claw stopped before changing direction and aimed for Pandora's magician. But Pandora only chuckled. "Perfect, that was just a decoy to make you activate a trap to save your magician." he whispered and Yami sucked in a breath.

"Counter trap, Nightmare Chains!"

A large iron grid appeared onto the field before chains snaked around Maahado and brought him back against the grid and kept him fastened in place. Mahaado made a sound and struggled before looking down hopelessly to Yami._ 'No...'_

"Now, your magician can only watch as I torture you slowly to your death!" Pandora exclaimed and Yami growled._ 'With him out of the way, he has direct access to my lifepoints!'_ Yami thought before glaring at the man across from him. "Now, pay for your insolence. Go, slave Black Magician! Blast him to bits!" he called as the magician shot forward and casted his magic onto Yami, causing him to cry out in pain and knocking him down a hefty sum of lifepoints. The saw blade moved closer to him and Mahaado looked down in horror at the danger his master was in. "Are you ready to die, Yami! Once your lifepoints hit zero, my escape will be complete!" Pandora said with a grin. "And the curtain will be brought down upon you and stained with your blood! Now make your last move so you can die!"

_'Damn it, I need to block his next attack or I'm done for and Yugi won't be happy to know that I died here.'_ Yami thought as he drew his card. "I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" he called as the heavy armor monster appeared on the field._ 'Hopefully he can last me till next turn while I figure out a way now to get rid of his magician and free my own.'_ he thought as he ended his turn. "So, you play a wall monster in hopes to save yourself. I see...do you really think hiding behind that shield will save you? It won't work for next turn, your will be sawed in half!" Pandora said. "Let's see if you know the magic to keep yourself living with only half a body!"

Yami snarled in anger and wondered just what he had planned to get through his defenses. "But for now, I'll play a monster, Malice Doll of Demise." he said before grinning as he pulled another card from his hand. "And now...for the spell card that will give me the win! A spell that affects the entire board...Ectoplasmer!" he said as the spell card revealed. Yami gasped in horror, eyes wide that Pandora had such a cursed card on him. "Looks like you are aware of how dangerous this card is. This card can extract the ectoplasm, the soul energy, from a monster and use it as a weapon! And with no true form, it can easily pass your wall!"

_'He's really planning on sacrificing his monsters' souls! How horrible that he has no respect for his monsters except for fodder for his spell card!'_ Yami thought. Pandora snickered softly. "So you guessed...of course, doing this will kill the monster..." he whispered but his magician heard and was surprised as he looked to his master. "But it's a small price to pay to bring in your head!" His Black Magician looked to him, still in shock that he was to be sacrificed so easily and wondered if his power even meant anything to the conjurer.

"Now, time for the final curtain call for you...my Black Magician and Doll of Demise will be converted to ectoplasm!" he said and Yami growled, claws balled into a fist as he watched the horror that was about to befall Pandora's monsters. "First, Doll of Demise! Ectoplasm Extraction!" he said and the doll's eyes became lifeless as it collapsed into a heap on the field as the milky white ectoplasm rose from it, the dol's attack cut in half but will do well to serve its purpose. "And Ectoplasm Beam! Fire!" The ectoplasm shot forward and hit Yami directly, causing him to cry out but not out of pain.

/It hurts.../ A disembodied voice spoke and he gritted his teeth as he listened to doll's last cry as his lifepoints decreased to 700 and the blade inched closer to him. _'No, one more hit and I'm dead...but the blade will not even be the least of my worries. The cry of his monster's soul hurts me more than any blade could.'_ Yami thought as Mahaado continued to watch the display and knew one way or another, he had to do something. Chains or not.

"Now, Yami, do you know why you can't defeat me even with your dueling prowess? I'll tell you...you lack the ruthlessness, the iron fist, to become a true master of magicians! You care too much for your cards as if they can feel pain and have a soul! You can never win with such a trust in inanimate objects!" Pandora spoke, smirking as he pointed to his Black Magician. "And looked at the results of your coddling! You protected him so valiantly only for **_him_** to end up being tied to the grid and rendered useless to you! Monsters are nothing but pawns to be _sacrificed_!" he continued before looking up to his own magician. "Now, Black Magician, give me your life and end this duel and kill the demon! Your master commands you!"

The magician gritted his teeth in anger, hand clenched tight around his wand as he near resisted the urge to give his life but since he was nothing but a pawn to Pandora, he only obeyed and his eyes whited out as his ectoplasm was extracted, its attack 1250 which was enough to finish off Yami. Yami watched the mistreatment of the other and no matter how evil he looked, he was still Black Magician and therefore held a special part in his heart.

"Pandora, can you not hear him cry?" Yami whispered.

"Shut up and **_die_**!" Pandora called. "Fire!"

The ectoplasm shot forward and Yami closed his eyes as he waited for it to hit. _'I can't believe it's over...and from the pain of another monster...'_ Yami thought._ 'I win!'_ Pandora thought in glee as the ectoplasm advanced at rapid speed at its target.

/My master! I will not let you die here!/ A voice cried as Maahado gave a cry of defiance as his ectoplasm was extracted out on its own and shot forward, the soul of Mahaado forming before Yami and he opened his eyes when he heard the call and looked up to see him blocking the ectoplasm of the other Black Magician._ 'Black Magician...'_ Yami thought, surprised at the turnout but also felt pain as his monster sacrificed himself to keep him alive.

_'No! His Black Magician protected him on his own volition! That isn't possible!'_ Pandora thought in shock.

"You sacrificed yourself for me..." Yami whispered as the two souls began to fade from the field in a stalemate. /I couldn't let you die...not here.../ Maahado whispered before he was gone completely and a lone tear fell from Yami's eye. _'I see now...when I targeted my magician with my spell, his was affected as well...but he protected Yami on his own...so does that mean...'_ Pandora began, eyes wide behind the mask he wore.

**_A card...by its own will...will protect the player!_**

Molten crimson looked up at Pandora as Yami growled in anger. "You don't need ruthelessness to win, Pandora...but don't worry. For the souls of both magicians, I will give you no mercy! I will relay their pain onto _you_ for such mistreatement!" he snarled, full demon form showing and Pandora flinched back at the dark power that seem to covered the room like a blanket as he was about to learn first hand the anger of a demon pushed too far.

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Zypher: -wipes tears- Oops, I think I made the end a little emotional but I had to convey the importance of the Black Magician to Yami and this is the best duel to show it. Break out the tissue folks cause you may shed a tear. Anywho, staying up late again but this chapter had to be written for a has an announcement and what better way to say it but in an update. I have another poll up for I need to plan ahead and I've almost forgotten about this arc but this is an arc that may or may not have been read by many depending. If you have heard/seen/read Yu-Gi-Oh! R, there is a poll up in my profile about the addition of it and the result of it by the end of the month will determine whether I add it in or not and if I do manage to end up adding it, it will change the ending of two others arcs for good reason to make this arc fit in properly. So send me your votes and I'll get to work on writing up another installment in between advanced chapter writing for future arcs. Now it's 6:25 am where I am so bedtime for this writer. -collapses onto bed and sleeps, cuddling Black Magician plushie-


	39. Malik's Plan

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 39

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_'Black Magician...your sacrifice will not be wasted.'_ Yami thought solemnly as a glare was directed at Pandora. Pandora only growled as he watched their cards disappeared from the field. _'I gave up my magician's life to kill you but it didn't work! You will pay for this!' _he thought as a smirk grew_. 'But I got rid of his only one while I still have two more resting in my deck. Either way he's a goner.'_

"Enough with the look. To end my turn, I'll play a card face down." Pandora said as he watched Yami. "Now, I know your deck only contains one Black Magician but I still have two left! The title of master magician is still mine to claim!" Pandora exclaimed.

"We'll see about that. If you were a true magician, then the heart filled cries of the soul you sacrificed would ring like a haunting melody in your ears." Yami spoke. "Oh, I hear nothing of the sort! Just the sweet sound of a circular saw waiting to slice you up!" he said with glee. "You only have 700 lifepoints left, the moment the counter hits zero, that blade will move pass the zero mark and cut you up! Then the greatest escape of the century will be completed!"

"Only the cards will know how this battle shall end and it won't be with my life lost." Yami hissed as he drew his card. _'He has no monsters on the field so this is ample time to attack him.'_ he thought. "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beast onto the field." he said as the beast monster appeared on the field with a snarl. But Pandora only grinned. _'So eager to die!'_ he thought before hitting a button on his duel disk. "Activating trap! Devil's Scales!" he said as the demonic looking scales appeared on the field. "This handy trap will measure the monster on both sides of the field to make sure there's equality but seeing as I have none, that means yours will be destroyed!"

"Damn you..."

"Now, let's the scales decide your fate!" Both Gardna and Gazelle appeared on the scales and with there being more monsters on Yami's side of the field, the teeth-like plate crushed both of them and they were destroyed before fading from the field. "Now you have no monsters, and just after you summoned too. Such a shame." Pandora mocked as he took his turn. Yami growled in anger, teeth clenched and very tempted to rip Pandora's head from his shoulders but alas, with the binds keeping him in place even with his strength made that impossible at the moment but he was sure it will happen soon enough. After drawing his card, Pandora glanced to it and smirked darkly. 'With this trump, I can't lose!' he thought and Yami could tell that whoever can summon a monster first will win.

"You've played right into my hands, Yami. I have a card that can summon a high level monster in a pinch!" he said and Yami's eyes widened, knowing exactly what the other was going for. "I can see by your expression you know exactly what's going to happen! Yes, a card to summon the most powerful spellcaster! The Black Magician!" he said as he took the card from hand. "With this, I shall win! Now activate, Dark Magic Curtain!" he called as he played the card and a dark curtain appeared onto the field. "It cost me half my lifepoints but it's well worth it to finish you off for good!" Pandora's lifepoint decreased to 750 but for it, the Black Magician appeared from the curtain and glared down at Yami who snarled in anger.

"Well now, who has the perfect magician deck now? Speed of attack, speed of summoning, spell cards to assist no matter the situation...either way you put it, mine is superior to yours!" Pandora gloated before cackling. "You have to admit to it now! I am the ultimate magician! The ultimate archmage of magician decks everywhere!" Yami's eyes narrowed as the other continued to gloat and knew somehow, he had to stop Pandora. "You don't have a single monster on the field! One more strike and I will win. Of course, your only hope is your face down cards...so let's be rid of them so I have nothing getting in my way. Activating spell! Anti-Magic Arrows!" he called as arrows materialized before making targets of Yami's cards, destroying them and he snarled.

"Now there's nothing left to stop me! Go, Black Magician! Finish him off!"

The Black Magician shot forward, staff ready to make the killing blow when something odd happened that threw Pandora off his game as it materialized onto the field._ 'No! How can this be!'_ he thought in shock as the Black Magic Curtain appeared on Yami's side of the field._ 'How did he get the spell too! I've cancelled all of his retaliations!'_

"You must be wondering why this happened...that because Black Magic Curtain affects the entire field, and therefore allows me to summon a magician as well." Yami explained, smirk on his face while his lifepoints decreased to 350.

"But how! I know your deck! You only have one Black Magician! Who else could you possibly send out!" Pandora sqawked, horrified at the turn of events and hoped that the other couldn't possibly send out a stronger magician than his own. "You are right, while I don't have another Black Magician...who ever said anything about me not having his apprentice hiding within my deck. Behind ever great magician, there is an apprentice to carry on their magic should something happen to them." he spoke, making Pandora gape in horror.

_'I...I didn't know that! So who can it possibly be!'_

"Now let me show you! Come forth, Black Magician Girl!"

The curtain opened and the small female magician appear out from the curtain, smiling softly. Pandora let out a relieved breath. _'She's nothing. With only a mere 2000 attack, she can't hold a candle to Black Magician. You just signed your death warrant, demon!'_ Pandora thought. "Kill them! Kill them both, Black Magician!"

"Counter with Black Burning!"

The two clashed in the center of the field, a large cloud of smoke obscuring their vision but Pandora could only believe that his magician won over Black Magician Girl. _'I win! I finally win!'_

"Do you now?" Yami questioned and Pandora's eyes widened at the proclamation and gasped when the smoke cleared, revealing that his magician had been the one to fall. _'No...this can't be! He was much more powerful than her! How did he lose!'_

"I'll explain to that feeble mind of yours, conjurer. Black Magician Girl's attack raises by 500 for each Black Magician in the graveyard. The apprentice carries on her master's legacy...and he will watch over her even in death." he explained, the soul of his Black Magician appearing behind his apprentice. "B-but that doesn't explain anything!" Pandora exclaimed in horror. _'There's only one Black Magician in Yami's graveyard! She would only gain 500 and therefore the match should've ended in a stalemate!'_ he thought as he tried to piece together exactly what happened. Yami's eyes narrowed as cerise darkened into crimson.

"Take a closer look, conjurer. Remember how I told you that you would hear the cries of the monsters you sacrificed selfishly in hopes to defeat me before. Now hear his now as he returns the favor by killing you!" he hissed as Pandora's magician appeared beside Yami's, giving Black Magician Girl another 500 and left her with a grand total of 3000 attack points. "Now, prepare yourself, Pandora! You have betrayed your cards and I've heard their cries! Now time to pay for your ruthless sacrifice! Black Burning!" he called and Black Magician Girl casted her spell once more, hitting Pandora directly and finished off the last 750 lifepoints he held. "Remember this, Pandora, cards are to be respected. If not then soon, they will turn on their masters. You discarded your so called "slave" so he turned against you by assisting me." Yami whispered.

"Th-this can't be..I lost...I can't lose...this was supposed to be my grand escape! Cards don't have souls or minds of their own! They are to only obey their masters!" Pandora screeched.

"And look where it has gotten you. You cut up your cards to cheat and then slaughtered your monsters to win. This is their payback and now, it's time for you to die." he whispered as the box beneath him opened while the sawblade advance onto Pandora. _'Augh! No! The sawblade will slice me in half now that my lifepoints are at zero!'_ Pandora thought in horror as he tried to escape in panic but forgotten his own trap kept him bound there. Yami looked down to se the key as well as a puzzle card sitting within the box.

"Shit!" Pandora cursed as the blade got closer and closer but then he smirked. _'A conjurer is never to be underestimated! I have a spare key hidden right in my sleeve just in case._' he thought as he pulled out the key. _'As long as I have this, I can escape...'_ he thought before everything came to a screeching halt as a familiar presence entered his mind. _'M-Master Malik!'_

/Didn't you lose the duel, Pandora?/ he questioned mentally. /For that, you must pay the price with your life!/

With his presence in his mind and controlling him, he could move, therefore leaving him open for the saw to finish the job. "H-help me...forgive me! Please master, forgive me!" Pandora cried as he looked to the hand that once held the key but saw nothing although it was nothing but an illusion to his eye and the key was still there. "No, where is it! Where's the key! I just had it!" he wailed. /I've erased it from your memory. You can't see it nor feel it, slave. You shouldn't forget that I have complete control over everything you do./ Malik spoke.

"Noooo!" he cried before wailing in pain as the blade began to slice at his leg slowly.

But his saving grace came in the form of Yugi running up to him, kneeling down and unlocked the ankle cuffs while a rope of shadows pulled him from the blade. "You have done wrong but no game is worth dying for." Yugi whispered as Yami walked up to him. "Be grateful he was willing to show you mercy." he hissed. Pandora was silent before he moved to stand, Sennen Eye glaring on his forehead as Malik took over. "Now why would you do such a thing? You just gave him his sentence and yet you save him." Malik spoke before glancing down to Yugi. "So you are the demons' lover." he whispered.

"How do you know that! Who are you!" Yugi demanded as he stepped back closer to Yami who set a hand on his shoulder.

"Ah yes, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I am Malik. I can control this fool from a distance. His mind and all his senses...his sight and his hearing. It's how I can hear and see you even from far away as well as speak with you." he explained. "Ok then! I don't care about that right now! Why are you trying to kill Yami for! He hasn't done a thing to you!" Yugi said "For revenge, dear Yugi. I am the heir of the clan of tomb guardians who have lived within the darkness for 3000 years...and for such, I will avenge them."

_'Tomb Guardians..where have I heard that before...'_ Yugi thought to himself before his focus was back on Malik as he began to speak.

"In the most remote parts of Egypt...near the tomb of the kings...we tomb guardians have lived apart from society, from the world even, hiding away in the darkness, assing a task from mother to daughter and father to son. It was to protect the eight secrets...the memories of the lost kings so that one day, they will arise again." he explained._ 'Wait...eight secrets...memories...he must mean...!'_

"Wait, do you speak of the Sennen items! How do you know of them!" Yugi demanded. "I hold one of course. I must guard it...even if it means sacrificing my life for it...until I present it to the king and sovereign of 3000 years. It was what I was taught as a child. Of course the problem was finding their souls for when they were lost, it said they were corrupted with dark powers far surpassing their shadow magic. But there was a clue...a clue written in the original hieroglyphics of the Pert em hru, the Book of the Dead...it told us that the king will be known by "three three god cards he wields". In other words, the one to collect the three god cards in this tournament will be marked as the king of old and regain his lost memories and the Sennen Items!"

_'So that's it, the god cards are the key to bring back their memories...'_ Yugi thought quietly while Yami listened to this all with a passive expression. "But for countless generations, my family has protected the Sennen items all at the cost of our suffering and pain...but now, I will put an end to it all and free us from such binds...but not by welcoming the king and sovereign as told by the tomb keepers. I will kill them for good and not only get revenge but take their power as demons! And if the prophecy speaks of the king that wields the three god cards, then I will fulfill that prophecy and become the new demon king of this world!" Malik spoke and Yugi gasped.

"You can't do this!"

"I can and will! I formed the Ghouls to hunt down the three gods. I have obtained two and the last lurks in this Battle City."

Yami growled in anger and Yugi reached up to rest his hand over his, he felt they were at the halfway mark now. He knew the purpose of Yami participating in this event. Not for a title but to reclaim that which he and Aqua had lost overtime._ 'I have to help them...we have to find the god cards, it's the only way to get back their memories now. They have longed for this chance and I can't hold them back.'_ Yugi thought, his other hand reaching up to grip tightly on the chains that held the puzzle. _'I wish...even longed for them to stay with me...but even if we do get separated, at least they be able to rest peacefully and at least had a chance at love during their time out in this world. There's just some things you have to let go for the greater good!'_

"I won't let you kill him or Aqua! Yami wil fight you and he will win! He will have the support of me and the friends he had made over the time he has returned to the living world!" Yugi said.

"Your words are nothing. You may be their lover but you were nothing but a vessel before..." Malik murmured._ 'And soon, you too will die so that I have no other competition.'_ he thought. "It will take me some time to get to Domino City. But I surely wouldn't want you to get bored while you wait for my arrival so I'll give you something to work for if you're so adamant to stop me. Already there is a Rare Hunter with a god card lurking within the city. A man who hold Osiris. You see him before you know it so remember this...beware the silent doll..."

Yami buried his words into mind as he gave a snort and looke away. _'Now, to tie up loose ends with this failed pawn.'_ Malik thought as he began to sift through Pandora's mind and the networkings of his past._ 'Hmm, so he has considered the idea of suicide twice in his life. Well then, let's stir them up a bit so that when he wakes, he will be in hysterics as suicidal impulses take over until he can't take them no more and kills himself.'_ he thought, using the Rod to do just that before leaving the other's mind and the wadjet eye faded from Pandora's forehead.

_'Soon, we will meet, Yami.'_

Pandora collasped onto the ground and Yugi ran over to the other man to check and see if he was alright. Yami walked over to him, causing Yugi to look up to him. He knew by his gaze that there was no time to worry about the other and stood. "I'm here for you, Yami. I will help you both through this. Now let's get going since Aqua is still out there and will wonder where you are if he doesn't see you." he murmured before disappearing back into his soul room. Yami let out a breath, touching the puzzle gently._ 'We have our lead and we know what we must do to get our memories back...but will it cause us to have to return back to the dead and leave Yugi here all alone? I truly hope not cause I don't want to lose him...'_ he thought before stepping over the fallen conjurer despite his instincts telling him to finish the job but ignored them, knowing that he'll probably get his dues thanks to Malik's influence.

0

Zypher: And that's that. Hope you all liked and now its time for another page out of the big book of duel monster stories.

-Shadow Realm: Yami and Yugi's Deck-

"Mahaado! Mahaado, where are you!" Celtic called as he ran about the realm in search of the spellcaster. He came across Gazelle and stopped as he looked to the beast king. "Hey, Gazelle, have you seen Mahaado?" he asked. Gazelle looked to him and nodded. /"Last I saw, after the battle, he returned to the spellcasters dorm to work with Mana on her magic some."/ he explained. "Alright, thanks." he said and was about to run off once more for the spellcasters' dorm with Gazelle held a paw up to him. /"Need a lift?"/

"That would make things quicker."

Celtic climbed onto Gazelle's back and the beast king was off towards the spellcasters' dorm, soon arriving in the large courtyard which was being occupied by said spellcasters, Mahaado watching as Mana practiced her spells. He looked to them and smiled warmly before waving them over. Gazelle did so, trotting over to his side before Celtic climbed off and walked up to his lover. "How goes it?"

"A faw backlashes but she is improving. I'm glad she came through in battle but I didn't expect to see the other Black Magician to assist her but he told me he felt betrayed to be sacrificed so easily by Pandora that he was willing to help just to see him die." he murmured, crossing his arms and sighed. "To be treated that way, it not only pained Master Yami but me as well to see a fellow spellcaster in such conditions." Celtic frowned and reached up, resting a hand on his arm. "Well hopefully things will look up for him. Master Yami didn't pick him up but hopefully someone better than that man will."

"I hope so too." he said, smiling down to Celtic before leaning down and kissed his forehead gently. "Did you miss me?"

"A whole lot since I wasn't there but it looks like you definitely got a workout of your magical prowess." Celtic said. "I did indeed but I'm only grateful to have help Master Yami. I had to protect him, no matter what it took so thankfully, as evil as it was, the Ectoplasmer came in handy for me to do just that." he said. "I'm glad to hear that, Mahaado. I wish I could be just a devoted as you are to Master Yami."

"You are in your own special way, Celtic. Never forget that." he said, leaning down more to kiss him softly before a long bang stopped him and he looked up. "Mana! Remember to focus!" he called before looking down to Celtic once more. "I shouldn't take my eye of her for a minute. Wait for me in my room and we'll continue our conversation there." he said, a glint in his eyes that Celtic knew well and he blushed a little before nodding. Gazelle only laughed from where he was before heading back to the beast dorm while Celtic headed into the spellcasters to wait for Mahaado to finish his lesson with Mana. He did, however, have the sneaking suspicion that the other was going to end it early just so that he can get back to his room and his waiting lover.


	40. Return of the Insect Duelist

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 40

0

"So, did you see them anywhere?" A voice questioned as the group met up by the clock tower. "No, they weren't over there either." Ryou spoke as he stepped up to where Diamond, Myrrh, Keara and Sugoroku stood. "Man, they move fast." Diamond hummed, crossing her arms. "And the city's pretty big so it might take a while to find them." Myrrh added. She then looked to Ryou. "So, what took you so long?" she asked. "Oh him, he was up all night writing up a storyline for his next tabletop roleplay. He fell asleep but somehow it was finished the next morning." Diamond explained.

"Yeah...and I was only halfway done with it before I fell asleep." Ryou murmured.

Myrrh gave a nod and then gave a light sigh. "And Honda apparently went on a trip." she muttered and looked down._ 'Why does it seem were all starting to drift apart now?'_ she wondered before feeling a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked up to Keara. "Don't worry, Myrrh, we'll find them, you'll see. And I'm sure both Yami and Jou are doing fine." she said and Myrrh smiled and nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't doubt them to get out of the game just yet. They're too strong for that." she said before looking to the others. "Let's keep looking!" They nodded before Ryou's eyes drifted and spotted a crowd gathering. "Hmm, wonder what's up with them?"

Where the crowd was gathered, they were standing around a bench where a person stood. He was decked out in very little but what he wore made him look like the typical goth. Eyes stared blankly at nothing and people began to mutter about how he hadn't moved from the spot since yesterday neither had he drank ot ate anything since then. The others walked up to take a look as well and Ryou smiled. "Well look at that, a mime!" he said exuberantly. Once Myrrh caught on to what the people said, she blinked. "Wow, he's been here a whole day with no food or water nor did he sleep. He's a pretty serious mime to go that long." she said. "Makes ya wonder what's he's thinking." Sugoroku murmured. Diamond stepped up and waved a hand in front of his face and got no response. "Excuse me, mime?" she questioned and still got no response from him. _'He's like a doll, lifeless but there's a hint of something deep within him.'_ she thought before stepping back. "Well he isn't a duelist so let's get back to searching." she said and they nodded. Sugoroku looked to the clock and hummed.

"It's getting close to noon. I'm starting to get a bit hungry."

"Wait, hunger...I know where Jou is now!" Myrrh said with glee.

0

At the Beef Buster restaurant, the chef placed two extra large bowls of his special before Jou and Kaiser. "There you are, extra sauce and extra large!" he said and Jou griined. "Thanks! This looks so good already!" he said as he began stuffing his face with the long awaited meal even though his duel disk was smacking the neighbor in the face as he ate. The chef spotted the disk and chuckled. "You're one of those "duelists" playing cards around town, huh?" he questioned and Jou nodded. "Yes indeed! Can't draw good cards without a full belly!" he said. "Even us warriors need a break!"

"Well then let me bless you with good eats and good luck! Here, have some pickles on the house!"

"Sweet! You're the best!"

The businessman sitting next to him finally got irritated as he was knocked once more by Jou's duel disk and glared at him. "Hey, kid! Will you remove that thing already!" he groused and Jou glanced to him and then his duel disk. "What are you, nuts! This duel disk is like part of my arm! If ya don't like it, then chop off my arm then!" he growled, making the other flinch. "Now, now, kid. We don't want to disturb the others." The chef murmured and Jou pouted before nodding. "Alright." he murmured before removing the disk. "I'll forgive you cause the chef gave me free pickles with my beef bowl." Jou set the disk down behind him, catching the eye of a smaller kid further down the line. He stood and started walking for it, acting as if he was about to leave the shop. Kaiser glanced at him, seeing his stiff posture as he walked and his eyes narrowed. Before he could react however, the kid bolted, snatching up Jou's duel disk in the process.

"Hey, you little snot! Get back here!" he called as he stood and jerked Jou from his seat. "We got a runner!"

"Hey, you two haven't paid just yet!" The chef yelled. Jou muttered a faint curse before pulling out two 500 yen pieces and slapped them on the counter before running out with Kaiser right behind him. "Get back here!" Jou roared as they chased the kid down. From across the street, Myrrh spotted them and gasped. "Jou! Kaiser!" she cried but it went on deaf ears as they focused more on the thief. Kaiser flapped his wings and dove up into the air before landing before the kid and grabbed him by his shoulders before he could try to weave around him. "Busted."

The rest of them caught up and after Jou reclaimed his duel disk, they sat the kid down to figure out the problem. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again, promise..." he muttered as Jou slipped the disk back onto his arm. "Why'd you steal it then?" Jou demanded.

"I was mad!" The boy hissed, clenching his fists tight. "I was in the tournament too but my first match was against this really tough duelist. He smoked me in my duel and took my cards and my duel disk." he explained. _'Damn, what the hell...'_ Jou thought, surprised someone would do such a thing and knew for a fact it wasn't the work of the Ghouls since they only hunt down rare cards, not an entire deck. "So, you wanted to use Jou's duel disk to challenge him again?" Keara questioned and he nodded. "Yeah, I was going to give it back to him as soon as I got my own back."

_'Something fishy is going on here...he's supposed to be a tournament-ranked duelist...?'_ Sugoroku thought as he listened to the boy's story.

"Well I admire your determination but that would never work! Every deck is made by the soul of the guy who made it. That's the only person that can bring out the power of the deck. Besides, even if you tried to use mine, you wouldn't have won anyway! But today's your lucky day cause now that you've met me...I fight the guy that took your stuff in your place!"

"Are you sure about this, Jou? We don't need you losing any good cards in the long run." Kaiser murmured from his spot. "Yeah, wouldn't it be a good idea to at least get a glimpse of this guy's strength beforehand?" Ryou added. "Doesn't matter! Anyone who steals cards from a weaker player is on my shit list cause I hate guys like that!" Jou said with a growl. "I'm taking him on with everything I got!"

"Th-then you'll beat him for me!"

"Yeah!"

"Great! I'll go find him right now and point him your way! Wait here!" The boy said happily as he stood and ran off in search of the duelist that took his things. They watched him go before Sugoroku looked to Jou. "Jounouchi, check your deck. I fear that he could've tampered with your deck." he murmured. "Oh come on! Do you really think a guy like him would go to such lengths to trick me?" Jou questioned. "He does bring up a valuable point, though." Kaiser mutered.

"Oh come on! Have a little faith in people!" he said as he looked to them. "If you can't trust someone, what's the point in trusting anything..."

"A good point, Jou..." Keara murmured although she was with the others about the kid tampering with his deck for the upcoming duel. "See, I have trust in my future. I will continue to battle all odds and win duels throughout the course of Battle City until I'm up there with Yami...and when that happens, then I'll duel him! Whether I win or lose that match, at least I can hold my head up high and call myself an able duelist to match up against anyone! If I can carve out that future for myself..."

"Then you can feel like you can show her a future too, right bro?" Kaiser finished and smiled. "Oh...you mean Shizuka?" Myrrh questioned and he nodded. "How is she anyway? How is she doing after her surgery?" Diamond asked.

"She still can't see..."

"What! But you said the operation was a success though!" Ryou said in worry.

"I know, there weren't any complications or anything...she's recovering at the hospital near my mother's place...but she hasn't chalked up the courage to remove the bandage." Jou murmured and everyone went quiet. _'So he entered the tournament for his sister. How noble.'_ Keara thought with a soft smile. "If I can win this thing, I'm gonna go see here and show her the face of a champion and a guy who won his future!" Jou said happily as he looked back to them, making them smile._ 'And with it, a little prize called courage...'_

"Oh yeah, I only told you guys and Honda...but don't tell Yami or Yugi the reason behind me entering the tournament until after our duel, alright?" Jou said and they nodded. "And you know, speaking of which, where is Honda?" Kaiser asked. "We don't know. He was supposed to come but he went on a trip..." Myrrh replied and Jou growled when it clicked.

"That rat!"

0

In a nearby alleyway, the boy entered inside, finding the person he was looking for and grinned. They talked for a moment and the other duelist smirked. "It was hard. I followed them for an hour or so but the stubborn ass wouldn't take off his duel disk." The boy muttered. "But did you do as I asked?"

"Of course! When I stole his duel disk, I stuck in two of the cards you gave me into his deck. That moron fell for it easily!"

The familiar laugh echoed through the alley before the duelist looked up, revealing Haga as the mysterious duelist. _'Now Jounouchi will die! My parasites will destroy his deck from within!'_ he thought with glee. The boy shifted a bit before looking to Haga. "Um...Haga...could you give me that rare card you promised me?" he asked. "Oh yeah..." Haga reached into his pocket and pulled out a card before handing it over to the kid. The kid took it eagerly before taking a look at it and gaped. "What is this! This is Pillroach! Nothing but a common! I have one already!" The kid exclaimed.

"Oh yeah...then eat this!" he hissed, pulling out a can of bug spray and let it loose on the kid, making him cry out in pain as he tried to rid of the burning irritation. "You said Jounouchi was waiting for me at the square? I'll head there right away." he said before walking off. _'First I'll beat Jounouchi into the ground and with his defeat, it will call out Yami and then I'll challenge him! I will crush him and make him pay tenfold for my humiliation at Duelist Kingdom with my super insect deck!'_ Haga thought as he reached the square and Jou looked up.

"You!"

"So, we meet again!" Haga said with a nasty grin and the other glared at him._ 'Insector Haga, former all-Japan Duel Monsters champion. Should've known he was going to be here.'_ he thought. "Let's do this."

0

At the Yonezato Staton, Honda was cursing a storm. "Where the heck are we! It's farther out in the sticks than I thought!" Honda grumbled while not far behind, Otogi and Jade were following. "We can make it back before dark, that's for sure..." Otogi murmured. Honda glanced back to the two with a soft glare. "For someone who just _happened_ to be going the same direction as me, you followed a pretty long way." Honda said. "Oh well...um...shut up and let's keep going! Where's that map..." Jade hissed. Eventually, the group of three found their way to Yonezato Hospital and inside, a nurse told Shizuka that she had some visitors. The smaller girl looked up in surprise.

"Mom?"

"So, you must be, Shizuka." Honda greeted, smiling softly. "Your brother's in the middle of a fight to show you the future. I'm here to bring you to him."

Shizuka gasped once more but she could feel happiness swell in her heart. _'Katsuya...!'_

0

"Jou! Don't give this guy the honor of fighting you! He tried to throw the Exodia cards in the ocean at Duelist Kingdom!" Myrrh said with a huff. Haga laughed as he looked to Myrrh. "Well thank you! I'm glad to see such a cute girl remember me!" he said and she shivered in disgust. "Ewww...I don't need that image in my head." she growled. But Jou ignored the plea as he watched Haga. "There's only one reason you're here and that isn't to catch some wayward flies...isn't that right, you little freak?" Jou demanded and Haga grinned. "So you are smarter under that blond head of yours! Let's duel right here and now unless you're gonna run away like a little whimpering dog!"

"I don't run!" Jou growled as hereadied his duel disk and Haga grinned. _'So, I heard you gotten pretty far in Duelist Kingdom. But you're up against me now and your skill is about as effective as a locust's fart. First I'll smash you and rid you out of this tournament then I'll go after that demon and claim his head!'_ Haga thought to himself. "You're really gonna fight him, Jou?" Ryou asked.

"You bet I am! Karma's a bitch and I'm going to show him the ferocity of messing with a guy who hates people that steals other's cards!" he said as he looked ack to Ryou and Haga only chuckled again._ 'That idiot really did fall for that sob story! I've already planted my parasites into your deck now! Think of it as a nice parting gift for when you lose against me!'_

"Bring it on, Haga!"

Haga laughed and Keara bristled just a little. "That kid's up to something, I can feel it." she murmured. "Good. I'm not the only one." Diamond muttered as they stepped back to watch the duel.

At the same time, Honda was working to convince Shizuka to come along with them. "Shizuka, there's a big card game tournament going on back in you old neighborhood in Domino. Your brother is there right now giving it his all. He's fighting to give you the courage you need to overcome the obstacle that you can't pass right now." he said and Shizuka lowered ehr head. _'He's fighting...for me?'_

"Wait, wait, hold on a second. When you win a game, you feel a sense of accomplishment, right? I can understand how Jou-kun feels a little bit stronger with each victory he achieves but how does this applies to his sister? If she wants to summon up some courage, she has to do that herself. Am I right?" Otogi explained and the other only glared at him.

"You don't get it, do you? Sometimes people have to help out one another! And you can get courage from other people, you know!"

"And that's exactly what we came here to find out." Jade murmured as he watched Honda. Shizuka still kept her head lowered before she spoke. "No, Honda...Ryuji-san is right. Only I can make the option to be brave...but I'm afraid to take off these bandages cause I fear if I do, I won't see a thing and I'll never see my brothers' faces ever again. When I think of that...I..." She let them finish her thought and Honda frowned while Otogi felt a little guilty for giving her that train of thought. Honda decided to sling the pack he carried with him and started pulling out a few things. "Shizuka, I didn't know whether you had some spare clothes so I brought you some of my sister's hand-me-downs! I don't know if they would look good on you but..." Jade coughed and Honda stopped his ramblings before looking to the younger.

"Shizuka...let's go see your brothers! You don't have to take of the bandages if you don't want to so we'll be your eyes during this trip." Honda said as he watched her. "I just want to say one more thing. I said Jou is fighting for you, if you're there, you will give him some courage too to help him blaze through the competition." he said and she whimpered just barely before biting her lip.

"Let's get going. The train will be here soon." Otogi murmured.

"I want to see them..." Shizuka whispered._ 'Please! I want to see onii-chan and Kaiser-kun again!'_

"Good answer. Now like dice boy said, we don't have much time before the next train arrives. Nurse, can you grab her clothes?" Honda asked as he looked to the nurse that was in the room with them. Seeing them being so helpful, a tear sipped from behind the bandages and the three smile before helping her to get ready.

_'You better wait for us! You big dummy!'_

0

The two shuffled their decks before placing them into the duel disk. "Why don't we make this fun. Let's make this a double wager! Two puzzle cards and one rare card." Haga suggested and Jou nodded. "Fine by me." Jou agreed. _'Both of my puzzle cards...if I lose to him them I'm out...'_

"Duel!"

"Jou! Don't you dare let down your guard! You lose and I'm going to smack you!" Kaiser called.

"Why is it that you have to hit me when I do something wrong!" Jou called as he looked to him. "Knock some sense into you, that's why!" he retorted and Jou hufed before turning back to focus on the duel as they drew their hands. Sugoroku watched as the duel began but was mainly thinking about Haga's strategy and why he would go to such lengths to challenge Jou. _'He's known for using an insect based deck. There's hundreds of different strategies that could be done with it...what would his be?'_

"I'm going to go first! You ready?" Jou called as he picked out his first card. "I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" he said as the feline warrior appeared on the field. "There, a super strong card that your bugs can't take down so easily!" Haga chuckled softly as he drew his card. "I'll play one face down and then bring out Skull-Mark Ladybug in defense!" he said as the card appeared on the field along with the insect monster. "Always bugs with you! Is that all you're gonna bring out! That's nothing!" Jou gloated.

_'Keep it up, soon you'll see the terror of my deck soon enough!'_ Haga thought as he ended his turn.

"My go! I bring out Little Winguard in attack!" he said as the tiny warrior appeared. _'Hmm, two level fours. Must be planning to bring out a stronger monster next turn.'_ Haga thought. "Now time to kick some keister! Go Panther Warrior! Attack that bug!" Panther Warrior leapt in and easily slashed the bug into ribbon but instead of fretting over the loss, Haga cackled. "Thanks, Jounouchi! That gives me an extra 500 lifepoints!" Haga cheered and Jou growled. _'Damn him! Should've read the small print.'_ Jou thought angrily and Sugoroku watched the duel intensely. 'Four star insects may not have much attack but they can hold deadly abilities to bring out nastier combos. Be careful, Jounouchi!'

"Now, take this! Pinch Hopper in defense!" Haga said as the grasshopper monster appeared onto the field. "Now, be my guest and destroy it! I won't mind at all!" he said, trying to bait the other duelist. Jou growled at the taunt before looking to his hand. _'I could easily sacrifice my two monsters and bring out a higher level one. And I have Jinzo in my hand already and using him will negate Haga from using traps which can be useful.'_

"I draw!" he said as he drew a card and blinked when he saw what it was. _'Parasite Paracide! I never had this card in my deck!'_ he thought in shock but seeing the surprise on his face made Haga grinned.

_'Ah ha! Looks like he drew my little gift to him and he can't stop it from being played!'_ Haga thought. Jou growled as he was forced to summon the card per its printing and when the card appeared on the field, it didn't take long before it infected his two monsters, changing them both into grotesque creatures with the parasite using them as its hosts._ 'What the hell is going on!'_ After the transformation was completed, Panther Warrior and Little Winguard were now transformed into partial insects, groaning terribly at the infection. "Well you look surprised but no matter, you have Parasite Paracide on the field and with it there, all the monsters you ay will be infected with flesh eating worms!" Haga spoke and Jou gasped in horror.

"Why would Jou put a card like that into his deck?" Ryou questioned. "He never did! I've watched him build that deck and he would never put any sort of insect card in there...unless..." Kaiser muttered and growled.

Jou caught on to what he meant and growled as well. _'That kid from before...it was an act and I fell for it!'_ he thought as he glared at the insect duelist across the field. "You ass! How can you do this to my deck!" he sneered. "Realized a little too late there, Jounouchi, but a truly briliant strategist thinks before the duel begins of how to demolish his opponent. My deck utilizes the ultimate power of insects! I can make them do _whatever_ I want and with your monsters infected with parasites, they're considered insects too, understand yet? There's no way how you can win against me now!" Haga explained before laughed and Jou flinched at the fate his deck is going through now and it all thanks to Haga deciding to slip in something that would infect his entire game long before making eye contact.

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Zypher: And that's that. I don't have much to say here except hoped you enjoyed and I'll see you soon with another chapter.


	41. The Rise of the Insect Queen

Yami no Game: Dark Saga

Chapter 41

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"I will kill you! You ruined my deck!"

"Tsk, tsk, Jounouchi. It's your fault for not double checking it before getting into a battle with me." Haga said with glee. "And now both of our fields are filled with insects! Isn't it wonderful!" Jou sneered at the younger duelist and knew he had to think up something quick despite his disadvantage. "That bug-eyed runt gets on my last nerve! If this goes on, Jou will have nothing but insects on his field!" Kaiser said but what Kaiser said made Sugoroku think and he gritted his teeth._ 'Can it be...that Haga has the rare card that increases its attack based on the number of insects on the field! Jounouchi won't be able to win easily if this goes on.'_ he thought.

"You're really starting to piss me off, bug boy! My turn!" Jou said as he drew his card and looked to the field._ 'Even though they're been turned to insects, their attack and defense stayed the same so that on side effect I don't have to worry about.'_ he thought to himself. _'So I can still summon a high level monster to take care of him.'_

"Alright, you ready! I sacrifice these two to bring out Jinzo!" he said but nothing happened and he began to get confused._ 'Why didn't it work?'_

"Oh, did I forget to mention that as long as they're infected, you can't sacrifice? Silly me but now you know so say goodbye to ever summoning a high level monster!" Haga said with glee and Jou gasped before giving a growl. "Oh don't growl at me. You can still normal attack you know." he pointed out. "Fine then. You brought this on yourself. Panther Warrior and Little Winguard! Double attack!" The two monsters flew in and Haga smirked. "Ah yes, but even so, I can't let you attack me so easily. I want to draw this out as long as possible. Activate face down card, Insect Barrier!" The repelling web appeared to protect Haga and Jou's monsters hit the barrier hard, giving a cry before falling back and Jou cursed.

"Get it yet? Parasitic insects makes up 50 percent of your monsters' body mass now so whatever can affect an insect will affect them too! They're no warriors anymore but pure insects!" Haga jeered. "And I can't forget to mention Insect Barrier is permanent so nothing you can do will get past it!" The spectators could only look in horror as Haga's sneaky strategy completely locked Jou's deck down. "Jou! You have to do something!" Kaiser called. "But what can he do? Changing his monsters into insects and putting up Insect Barrier. Unless he can get rid of that barrier, he's locked." Ryou murmured. Jou clenched his fist as he looked down in shame._ 'I can't believe this, is it all over already?'_ he thought.

Keara's eyes narrowed as she looked to him. "Jounouchi! You close your eyes now then you have given up on everything you've done!" she called. Jou's head snapped up and the image of Shizuka came to mind and he was filled with determination._ 'She's right! I can't let this bastard get the best of me! He's nothing but underhanding scum who will do anything to win!'_ He looked back to Keara and gave her a wink. "Thanks for the heads up! I won't let this lockdown get me down! I've been through worse and this is just kid's play!" he said before facing Haga again. 'I can never show Shizuka the future if I close my eyes now. I will fight my hardest and not let him get away with this.'

She smiled and nodded._ 'Show me you're worthy to fight the king.'_

"Go on then! It's your turn, bug breath!" Haga continued to smrik and tsked softly. "You should give up when you know you can't win." he murmured before drawing his card. "Now, I'm going to play a spell card, Insecticide! This will kill any insect, no matter how strong! I could use it on one of your monsters but that would be a waste for the plan I really have in mind and will instead destroy Pinch Hopper instead!" he said as the can of bug killer appeared on the field and sprayed Pinch Hopper down, killing it and removing it from the field. "And Pinch Hopper's ability is when it's sent to the graveyard, I can special summon any insect I want." he said, grinning.

"So I will play the highest level monster in my hand!" he said as he pulled out the card. "And that is..."

"The legendary card!" Sugoroku exclaimed as the card appeare on the field before a piercing cry echoed out as the large insect appeared on the field. "Insect Queen!"

_'Insect Queen!'_ Jou thought in horror. "And she has a lovely ability suiting to her place, she gets a power boost for every insect monster on the field, including your infected ones!" Haga said as the monster's attack increased to 3400._ 'So it's just as I thought. He insectified the entire field just for this one card and now, with nothing but insects ruling the field, it will become invincible.'_ Sugoroku thought while Jou grit his teeth at the challenge that presented itself. "Now, my queen, attack with Queen's Hell Breath!" he called and she gave a hiss as she gathered her attack before unleashing it onto the defenseles Little Winguard. "And that's not all, there's still more surprises for you For each monster she destroyed, she'll lay an egg which will hatch into another insect to continue giving her power." Haga said as she laid her egg which began to hatch the moment it landed on the field.

_'Great...now every time he beats my monsters, he'll just add another insect to beef up his queen even more.'_

"It may not have much defense or offense but it doesn't matter for the queen is the ultimate ruler of the field!" Haga announced with a cackle and Jou only cursed under his breath at the new situation that presented itself. He drew his card since it was his turn now and looked out to the field. _'I can't attack cause of that barrier and with this thing on my field, I can't summon a monster or else it'll just turn into another insect._' he thought before giving a sigh. "I play a face down and end my turn!" he said as the face down card appeared on the field but Sugoroku realized the other mistake he made.

"Jounouchi! You forgotten to switch your monster into defense!" he called and Jou's breath hitched. "He did indeed but he already ended his turn so it's too late for him!" Haga said. "No callbacks for you!" Jou groaned as he looked down. _'That's the dumbest move I ever made! Ra, how does Seto see something in me if I still act like an idiot on the battlefield?'_ he wondered to himself before looking up as Haga spoke again. "As duelists go...you're just like one of my newly hatched baby worms. So, are you ready for complete defeat?" Jou gave a glare as he looked to him. _'If Haga attack Paracide, Jounouchi will take a whopping 2900 in damage and lost the duel!'_ Sugoroku thought but Haga had a different plan in mind.

_'First, I'll have my queen destroy that stupid Panther Warrior and knock him out of 1400 lifepoints and then I'll finish off my Paracide which would be another 700 and finish him off completely. He's nothing and I aim to prove that now.'_ The insect duelist thought before gearing up for the finisher. "Queen of Arthropods! Slaughter that Panther Warrior!" he called and Insect Queen gave a screech as she prepared another attack but Jou could only grin. "Gotcha!"

"What!"

"Well since Paracide is your own card, I knew you wouldn't want to kill it so soon so I set a trap on my Panther Warrior!" he said with a grin. "W-what! So you left him attack mode to lure me in!" Haga gaped. "You got it, bug boy. Now, activating trap, Magic Arm Shield!" The card flipped up and the shield appeared on Panther Warrior's arm, reaching out to grab one of the larvae from behind the queen and dragged it up front, much to Haga's horror. "Y-you took my Insect Larvae! And now she's attacking her own young!" Haga cried as Insect Queen unleashed her attack on the defenseless larvae, destroying it and knocking Haga down to 2300 lifepoints. "Now, you wouldn't mind if I use one of your bad guy lines, will ya? Admit it, you're weak!" he said. "You're not so tough after all if you have to resort to tricks to win." Haga growled angrily as he pointed threateningly at the other. "I still have my queen! The ultimate terror is just beginning!"

_'He does have a point...how will I get out of this one with next to nothing.'_

"Smooth one, Jounouchi!" Myrrh called.

"A very good use of a trap in such a bind." Sugoroku murmured.

"Now the question is how will he beat Insect Queen?" Ryou murmured softly.

"Ready yet! It's my turn!" Jou said as he drew his card._ 'Even if I summon something else, it will only be turned into an insect and stregthened that damn queen and I can't allow that thing to get any stronger.'_ he thought._ 'And I can't attack as long as he has Insect Barrier up.'_ Haga grinned and laughed. "I remember, your deck has nothihhng but Beast-Warriors and Warriors, doesn't it! My parasite will feed of anything humanoid or animal! You're out of luck, Jounouchi!" he said with glee._ 'But there is only one monster that can't be affected by such effects...but did Jounouchi place it into his deck.'_ Sugoroku thought. "Well since I can't do anything, I'll place both my monsters into defense and end my turn." he said.

"That's right...there nothing you can do and it will stay that way." Haga jeered as he took his turn. "I summon Soldier Ant! Now attack, your chitinous majesty! Queen's Hell Breath!" The insect queen screeched as she gathered another blast and destroyed Panther Warrior with another mighty blow. "And Panther Warrior is dead!" Jou growled, seeing that the other wasn't going to plan to attack Parasite Paracide anytime soon._ 'The little bastard, hes going to milk the insect field for as long as he can until I make a mistake.'_ he thought, growling as Haga announced another egg being laid onto the field by the queen, hatching into another Insect Larvae and increased her attack once more. _'I'll die for sure on Haga's next turn!'_

"I've got you now, Jounouchi! Make your last turn a good one!"

_'I can't believe my future...is going to be stopped by some damn bug...'_ He could hear the others cheering valiantly for him and he became more determined. _'I hear ya...I can't lose here! I will find a way past his insect wall!'_ He took his turn and drew his next card and realization hit him as he looked to the card in hand. "Tough luck! Too bad you can't summon another monster for it will only turn into an insect! And as long as I have Insect Barrier, you can't attack me!" Haga said.

"But I can. I found one weakness in your little combo." Jou said and Haga gaped once more. Myrrh began to whisper to Kaiser about what Jou could possibly have and he shrugged, nothing coming to mind at that very moment. "I can think of only one card that could cripple Haga's strategy, could it be the same one I'm thinking of right now?" Sugoroku murmured. "I'm sure it is. Jou does have Lady Luck on his side after all." Keara said with a soft smile. "Now, I set one card face down and summon..." He set the face down card on the field before placing the monster onto the field.

"Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

"You idiot! He's just another warrior and fodder for my parasite!" The monster moved in, trying to infect the warrior but was soon repelled and it slunk off back to its alce on the field, getting a squawk from the insect duelist. "It didn't work! Why didn't it work!" he cried. "Gearfried is an iron knight, something like a robot. Even your paracite can't live in a suit of armor unless its wants to die off." he explained and Haga screeched in anger. "I'm impressed, you did manage to find a weakness in Haga's ploy." The elder spoke and Jou grinned. "I know. I'm glad he showed up right on time. And since he isn't a bug, he can attack your scrawny hide! Go Gearfried, attack the larvae!" The warrior charged forward, easily passing through the barrier and aimed for one of the larvae, destroying it with ease and knocking Haga down to 1700.

_'Jounouchi is a smart lad, to be able to figure out the insect combo's greatest weakness...lies directly in the queen's ability to lay eggs. She lays an egg whenever she destroys an enemy and the larvae aren't really cards to begin with. They are born in attack and can't defend and with only 1200 attack, Jounouchi can easily wither down Haga little by little. But Haga knew of this and therefore had the plan to change all of his cards to insects and then deter him with that barrier so he couldn't get at his only weakness._' Sugoroku thought. Haga growled in anger that his plan was foiled by one monster but knew that he still had the upper hand over him with his queen.

"Jounouchi, are you ready to pay the consequences for angering the queen? I will show you my deck's deadliest weapon, the queen's impact!" he said as he drew his next card. "I play Multiplicaion of Ants!" Jou gasped as Haga's side of the field became covered in ants. _'No, he made them into army ants...'_ Sugoroku thought in horror. "Now, I have ten army ants...do you know what that means, Jounouchi?" Haga questioned as he watched the other._ 'Wait...his Insect Queen increases by 400 attack for each insect...and with ten army ants...'_

"That's right. In other words...my queen has attack points that not even a Blue Eyes Ultimate can handle!" he said with glee as Insect Queen's attacked to a frightening 6600. "Now time for your demise! Insect Queen, attack!" The queen readied for her next attack and Sugoroku knew with that much power and Jou's Gearfried still in attack, he will lose 4800 lifepoints which is more than enough to wipe him out of the tournament. But Jou only had another grin on his face as he looked to Haga. "Like you said...you fool!" he said and Haga gulped. "No...you can't stop her...not my queen..." he simpered.

"Ah but I can. Activating trap! Graverobber!" The little Graverobber appeared onto the field as the card activated, holding Insecticide from Haga's graveyard which made him wail in fright. "I just hate bugs...so take that!" The card activated itself and the aerosol can of bug spray appeared and sprayed down the queen who screeched and writhed in pain as she was destroyed. "And now your precious queen is dead, bug boy." Jou said as he glared at the other. "Game over. Get him, Gearfried!" Gearfried charged forward and slashed at Haga directly, finishing off the last of his lifepoints and the other wailed at his defeat, thinking that he had the game won only to be foiled by the iron knight. "Yes, you did it!" Kaiser cheered.

"I thought you were a goner for a second! I knew you wouldn't let this twerp beat you!" Diamond added. Keara smiled as she watched the field be wiped and Jou walking over to Haga for his prize cards. _'You grew into a very fine duelist. As long as you have that luck and that confidence, no one can stop you.'_ she thought, "You-you were supposed to be an amateur..." Haga whimpered as Jou took his two puzzle cards and his Insect Queen. "Let me tell you something, bug breath..." he began as he left to move back over to the others.

"I'm not that strong...you're just a weak little wimp!"

Haga deflated and Jou along with the other left the park, Jou now sporting four puzzle cards and a nasty new card that could prove worthwhile with the right strategy.

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-Shadow Realm: Jounouchi's deck-

Ritoru shivered as he itched at various places on him after he returned back to the shadow realm. "Ugh, that was not a good feeling. Darn that boy and his parasite." he murmured. "Don't worry, it wasn't a pleasant walk for me either." Morcath said as he stepped up to where Little Winguard stood. "But he pulled through thanks to the master's new addition to the deck and we can all be grateful he came through in the end." he said as he looked over to where Gearfried sat, sharpening the blade that doubled as his arm, readying himself for the next battle. "I just hope master remembers to remove that parasite card. I don't want that thing lurking in the shadows and infecting people as it wishes cause it has the free reign to do so." Ritoru murmured. "It won't. I won't allow it." Gearfried spoke from his spot as he stood and moved over to the two. "It can't affect me and therefore I can deal with it whenever it decides to show itself but I'm sure Master Jounouchi will remove it promptly." he spoke.

"Yeah true, I mean unless he was really utilize its abilities with the new card he got, there's no reason for him to keep it." Morcath spoke and they nodded. /"Do I hear someone speak ill of a child of mine?"/ A voice boomed, making Ritoru jump a little as the large arthropod walked towards them, having taken the time to explore her new surroundings that were filled with nothing but beast-warriors and warriors. "Well, nothing ill, just that we don't know what Master Jounouchi will do with the Parasite Paracide card. We know it would be of some use to you after the demonstration of power you showed on the field today but there is also the fact that it once belonged to Haga and we all didn't have a pleasant experience with him previously." Morcath said. /"Mmm, that is true. I mean this deck isn't like my home in Haga's deck but I think I can get used to warriors."/ she spoke as she walked over them.

Ritoru watched her before shivering a bit. "You...won't be laying any eggs around here, will you?" he questioned. /"Of course not. This isn't a home for baby insects, while I wouldn't mind a couple little soldiers to help me make myself at home."/ she said. Ritoru groaned before following, assuming the giant queen insect wanted a guide to introduce her to the others. Gearfried chuckled as he stood beside Morcath. "Seems like the little Winguard just made himself into the queen's new guide." he said. "Looks like he did. Probably a bad idea but it woulod be interesting to see her reaction when she meets Laito for the first time." Morcath spoke as they followed.

"The little energetic dragon? If she doesn't find him annoying first, she may find him adorable." The iron knight replied and the two continued to chuckle softly as they walked.


End file.
